Naruto of the Salamander
by Snorkackle
Summary: A young, lonely and impressionable Naruto meets a legendary Black Salamander of Ame. Nobody would know just how big of a change such a small happening could make until the legend of Uzumaki Naruto had already begun. Naruto x Ino & Team Ten – 11/05/2012
1. Chapter 1

**Naruto of the Salamander****  
>IIII<strong>

**Authors Notes:**

This story was mainly inspired by the 'The Pro' and 'lord of the land of fire' who both have written some really good stories with not much of a divergence from canon. For instance, their stories are not that much canon, mind you, yet Naruto does not possess the sharingan, rinnegan or even some crazy kind of affinity nobody else has ever heard of (most of the time). They both simply turned the basic story and world of Naruto into something amazing with a few well-placed words and meetings.

Also, I figured I'd give a little shout-out to an author by the name of, 'Ryu no Tenshi' who wrote a few chapters of a story called, 'Naruto of the Salamander' odd, huh? My story by no means is a rewrite or even based on that story. Honestly, I was done with the first chapter of this story and typed in the title just to see what would come up and what came up? You got it right in one! Figured I'd just point that little bit of information out for anyone out there wondering if perhaps I copied him or her. Also, 'NOTS' sounds badass.

_Summary_: A young, lonely and impressionable Naruto meets a Black Salamander of legend. Nobody would know just how big of a change such a small happening could make until the legend of Uzumaki Naruto had already begun.

Enjoy the first chapter.

**IIII  
><strong>_**Battle of the Naka River!**_**  
>IIII<strong>

Uzumaki Naruto was a loner – he was almost always seen alone and unhappy; though most _thought_ he was happy, it was a well fabricated and crafted lie that he'd kept up to keep appearance one might say. He'd say it didn't bother him to the old man, Teuchi and Ayame, but he was lying. It bothered him – very much so, actually.

For some reason pretty much all of the villagers didn't think highly of him. The ninja guarded him with a cool sort of respect – they'd deal with him when they had too and they wouldn't go much farther than that; they would do their duty, although some seemed to be just itching for a reason to punish him. The teachers at the academy ignored him for the most part whether that was if he wrote on his desk, forgot or even did his homework – it was usually regarded with a zero if picked up at all –, raised his hand, answered a question or even asked one with or without permission.

It was like he was a ghost in Konohagakure no Sato, only a ghost that could be occasionally seen and regarded with barely-withheld fury and disdain. He was a pariah and had no clue why.

He wasn't outright ostracized or beaten – except for that one time when a newly appointed drunken genin attacked him he was never really harmed; apparently he'd been executed for treason a few days later – but what was done to him was worse, in a way.

He wasn't acknowledged, and that was all the little boy wanted. Acknowledgment on a positive level from the place he called home. Acknowledgement from the place he would one day lead as their Hokage and leader.

Uzumaki Naruto was a loner – that, however, was about to change…

**IIII**

Hands stuffed deep in his forest green shorts, Naruto continued to walk along the lonely path that was life; his current destination, the Naka River.

He'd found the peaceful spot not so long ago, following Sasuke home, oddly enough. The lone Uchiha had broken off a little ways after the spot he was settling in and headed towards the compound where he and the rest of his clan used to live. Naruto briefly recalled some boys in class talking about a massacre of all the Uchiha; he would have to look more into that particular topic.

Shaking his head, Naruto removed his blue sandals and dunked his feet into the water before pulling of his hooded shirt and bundling it up, creating a makeshift pillow and placing it behind his head; beneath the shirt he wore a simple dark blue t-shirt.

Soaking his feet, Naruto allowed his adolescent mind to wander…

He still didn't really have any friends but Iruka-sensei had saved him from no-doubt dying at the hands of foreign nins and Shikamaru had even hung out with him a few times after that; Iruka had told him Shikamaru had pretty much saved his life as much as he did! And wherever Shikamaru went, so did Chouji and sometimes Ino though it was clear she usually did so as a last resort. He now needed two hands to count the number of people that acknowledged him as a positive member of their community (Ayame and Teuchi Iruka, Hokage-jiji, Iruka-sensei, Shikamaru Nara and Chouji Akimichi)! He'd be Hokage in no time!

As Naruto's thoughts made their way back to his classmates – for some reason unbeknownst to the boy – a small blush made its way upon his face as he thought of the blonde and her friend Sakura. They were both very pretty in his opinion, and popular if slightly on the unfriendly side. Well, Sakura more than Ino, that is. Sakura liked to make her point, and by extension, love for Sasuke _very_ clear. Ino could be just as loud but she seemed to have a pretty good hold on her anger, unlike the fiery pink haired girl though her tongue could be as sharp as the rest when it wanted to be.

There was also that other girl – Hinana was her name? No, that wasn't it. Naruto bit his lip in thought, wading his feet through the water – Hinada! That was it! Naruto smiled, folding his arms behind his head and grinning at the clouds. If only Shikamaru could see him now…

Naruto was taking his time and joying the setting sun, knowing he'd need to head over to Ichiraku's if he wanted to eat before they closed. Only he really knew who bad he cooked – everything besides instant ramen and a few other basic meals that is – and the stores didn't like selling him stuff most of the time; if he went grocery shopping after dark and right before closing they'd probably accuse him of stealing! Sometimes the store clerks were just too troublesome.

It was with great hesitance that Naruto pulled his feet out of the river and slipped back into his shinobi sandals before tugging his hoody back over his head; it was getting a little chilly, after all, and he didn't want to catch a cold.

He was _just_ about to turn and make his way back up the warn dirt path that stretched from the river to the main street when he saw it.

A black and white salamander apparently locked in deadly combat with a wart-covered toad.

The salamander was bigger than the toad, but not by much. The toad was rather chubby looking and reached about eight inches high, with his knees bent and ready to pounce; it also happened to be a forest green color with tiny orange speckles dotting its skin in a few spots. The tallest point of the salamander was about mid-level with the toad, although from head to the start of the tail it was easily over a foot long; the salamander was also jet black from head to toe with an unusual white pattern on its back and from the looks of it, underbelly as well.

Naruto's observation was cut short when the toad leapt at the salamander, brandishing what looked like a tiny little fork. The salamander was not one to be intimidated by toys and opened its mouth. A sickly colored purple mist floated from the dark cavern and 'struck' the toad head first; it dropped to the grass twitching in mid jump. The salamander wasted no time at all in advancing upon its prey, ripping into the toad with – from the looks of things – tiny and glinting razor sharp teeth ferociously.

"Well, damn," Naruto murmured, rubbing the back of his head in confusion. It wasn't every day someone saw a toad and salamander do battle. "I can't wait to tell Chouji someone has even worse eating habits then he does."

As if listening to him, the salamander's head snapped towards Naruto, bloody teeth bared in a viscous little scowl that had a little bit of toad's leg hanging from his mouth; Naruto's stomach clenched uncomfortably at the gruesome sight.

"Now, now," he muttered pleadingly, "just go back to your dinner, yeah? I'll just be going now…"

Satisfied, the salamander went back to its meal, Naruto seemingly forgotten in his mind. Also satisfied his life was no longer in danger, Naruto began making his way towards his favorite eatery, his appetite still in place.

Walking, he snorted. _I'm training to be a shinobi for Kami's sake! If I don't have an appetite after that I don't deserve to be one!_

**IIII**

The next day after class, Naruto went back to the river, not intent on seeing the salamander, no, it was just his normal spot and he'd be damned if that little shit scared him off!

Shikamaru and Chouji were apparently going on a clan trip with some members of both their clans as well as the Yamanaka of Konoha; it was supposedly a comradely thing Naruto knew next to nothing about. Shikamaru has said his father allowed him to come but he didn't want to impose upon them. Not only was he the only person with the name Uzumaki in Konoha – he wasn't even sure if they were a clan at some point in time – not many people liked him and he didn't want to risk ostracizing Shikamaru and Chouji amongst their clans, thus risking the loss of his first friends.

No, Naruto would take one for the team – Team Naruto – and stay put. Besides, who else would bother Sasuke if he was gone, too?

Satisfied with his own train of thoughts, Naruto removed his sandals again, and, like the day before, placed them in the cool water waiting below and got himself comfortable.

He didn't have to wait long before he heard rustling in the tall grass to his left.

Stumbling through the grass was the salamander he had seen yesterday feasting upon a toad, only it was hurt. Its front right leg looked to be missing a few chunks and its tail seemed to be half the size it was then the first time he'd seen it.

A moment later a red toad with yellow spots emerged, this one not only bigger than its brethren but much larger than the black and white salamander in front of him. While the salamander reached a little over his ankles at best the toad in front of him nearly to his knees and a miniature tanto was easily visible in its hands.

The toad let out a little garble that Naruto assumed was supposed to be an intimidating war cry and sprung forwards, intent on killing the salamander and avenging his clan it seemed.

The salamander was not to be outdone, snarling and spitting out a yellowish-green substance that the toad managed to evade. Naruto could only gape as the liquid began to eat away at the grass it had landed on. The toad was not to be bested though as it landed before feinting to the left and springing back towards the salamander, ready for another round. Not to be outdone again the salamander burrowed its way underground in a flash, easily eating through the soft grass and dirt. Stomping its little feet in annoyance, the toad croaked to itself as it peaked into the dark hole the salamander has just escaped into.

Now, Naruto was training to be a ninja, and a ninja should know that they'd see very strange things on occasion and were supposed to reign in their shock and do their duty. Naruto was positive that this didn't count as he promptly fell over, landing on his ass when three identical black and white salamanders erupted from the ground – two creating new holes and the last coming back out of the hole it had made, promptly fading into dust when he toad's tanto made contact with it.

"Shit," Naruto whispered, eying the fight with obvious interest. "That little salamander can create a better bunshin that me…"

Even though the salamander had created some serious bunshin, the toad was not one to fall for tricks, easily dispatching the fakes and advancing on the salamander who looked to be tiring quickly, his wounds seemingly overtaking him.

The salamander backed away from the tanto-wielding toad, slowly makings its way towards the river, its eyes darting back and forth. The toad continued advancing.

As the toad continued to advance upon the salamander, Naruto made his choice then and there; a choice that would forever chance the shinobi nations and Konoha in general.

Three things happened in very quick succession.

The toad swung his tanto, the salamander leapt back and Naruto chucked a kunai with as much force as he could at the toad.

Three small noises were heard in very quick succession.

The salamander landed safely atop the slowly churning river, a kunai buried itself to the hilt in the toad's back, the tip of the blade erupting from the toad's chest in a shower of gore right before the toad fell – the final thunk – dead and defeated.

Naruto couldn't hold in the little whoop of joy that had threatened to break out at his successfully thrown kunai – target practice indeed.

"Yatta!"

"**Why are you so excited, boy? You've killed a toad. Yare, yare! Thank Kami you've decided to grace the Elemental Nations with your presence."**

Naruto blinked, once, twice, three times before lowering his eyes and coming to a conclusion that it _was_ the salamander mocking him. The shock of actually speaking to a life form not known for, well, speaking wore off a little when he remembered that many summons could speak as well.

Naruto crossed his arms across his chest. "You could say thank you," he muttered, frowning.

The salamander spared Naruto a lazy look and up close Naruto was able to see a helmet-like marking – more like a broken crown – atop the salamander's head in the same tone of white as his back and belly before looking back at the cooling corpse of his opponent. **"I had it under control."**

"You could have at least said thanks, salamander-san," said Naruto, raising his chin and sniffing slightly.

"**Salamander-san? I have a name, **_**boy**_**."**

"Not like you gave it to me," Naruto muttered, more to himself than the salamander.

"**I suppose I owe you that much – Dokueki, at your service, child."**

Naruto frowned. "Uzumaki Naruto," he said curtly.

"**Well, I'll be going now."**

"Aren't you going to… _you know_," said Naruto, waving towards the dead toad.

"**What? Eat it? No thank you. That was your kill – your meal."**

Naruto grimaced. He knew that eating your own kill and finding a meal when you didn't have the luxury of eating a cooked meal by someone else or something packaged was the shinobi way – "you keep what you kill," Iruka had said –, but he was barely nine and didn't really feel like gutting a possibly poisonous toad and eating it just because some salamander said it was the thing to do.

"Eh, feel free to have at it," said Naruto, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"**Thanks, kid,"** said Dokueki, giving a little shrug before turning slightly and makings his way towards the fallen toad.

"So," Naruto drawled as Dokueki dug into the toad with relish it seemed; perhaps it was little revenge or maybe he was just hungry, "are you from Konoha?"

"**Not really."**

"Are you a… a, what is it called? A… summon?"

"**Possibly."**

"Really? Who do you serve?"

The salamander looked at him sharply, sending a few innards he'd been chewing on array. **"You ask a lot of questions,"** he said, baring bloody teeth.

Naruto didn't seem too threatened, or worried. "Just curious. I've never met any summons before except for jiji's monkey.

"**Monkey – jiji? You **_**must**_** be talking about Sarutobi's old, decrepit ass!"**

"Yup!" Naruto chirped, happily. "So who do you serve?"

"**I'm a salamander,"** the salamander provided, going back to its meal.

"Salamander, salamander," Naruto muttered, rubbing his chin in thought. "I've heard that only a very powerful ninja uses the salamanders… What was his name? Danzou? No… Lando! Yeah, that's is. Lando of the Salamander!"

Dokueki swallowed the heart of the toad he had just been tearing into – a delicacy amongst salamanders – before letting out a raspy chuckle. **"If **_**Hanzou**_** heard you calling him that he'd probably kill you,"** Dokueki eyed Naruto seriously before lowering his head and turning back to his meal, **"or turn you into his weapon."**

"Me?" Naruto questioned, pouting for a moment before grinning and jabbing a thumb at himself. "Naruto!"

Dokueki snorted but did not look up. **"Cute, kid, really cute. Aren't you a little chibi-shinobi."**

Naruto didn't seem to have any more questions for the time being, thoroughly insulted and defeated, instead settling on just observing the little salamander as it ate. Little, however, was the wrong word to use as it was easily over a foot long and that wasn't even counting its tail while its head could probably take a bite out of his shin without any effort. This also gave Naruto to give him another look. His previous observations were confirmed when he noticed the blotchy white markings on its back; they did, in fact and oddly enough, bear a striking resemblance to that of a spider while the top of his head seemed to be covered in a shattered crown. Dokueki was also – as Naruto had previously noticed – missing a large chunk of his tail and several 'fingers' on its right 'hand'; the wounds looked clean though, obviously caused by the enemy toad's blade.

"Hey," Naruto spoke up as Dokueki was finishing up his meal, "do you need any help?"

Now Naruto was by no means a medic-nin at all. His chakra control was positively horrendous but he felt that Dokueki didn't need to know that at the moment. Perhaps the salamander would appreciate the gesture of him trying and failing instead of not trying at all; hopefully he didn't just mock him some more.

Dokueki's tongue darted out, licking some residual blood left on around its mouth. **"Help?"**

"Yeah," said Naruto, wriggling his fingers and giving his lower-half a little shake.

"**That,"** said Dokueki, chuckling, **"is already being taken care of."**

Naruto should have known the salamander had another ace up his non-existent sleeve and that was only confirmed when the injuries Dokueki had – and there were actually more than actually visible; little nicks and cuts hidden by the color of his skin – began to glow a familiar shade of green Naruto had seen on a few occasions: the salamander was healing itself.

"Why am I not surprised," Naruto muttered and it was actually quite the contrary as he was in fact very surprised.

"**What can I say? I'm just **_**that**_** good," **said Dokueki, giving Naruto a toothy grin.

"Arrogant little bugger aren't ya?"

As Naruto and the salamander traded jibes, a bond was formed.

The boy wouldn't know for a while that the little salamander he had helped do battle with a toad was one of his most precious 'people'.

Nobody would know how big of an effect a nine year old spotting a salamander fighting a toad could make, just like nobody would have guessed a simple sighting would turn a young, lonely boy into one of the most powerful shinobi the Elemental Nations had seen since, well, his father…

**IIII**

**Author's Notes:**

And that is the first instillation of _Naruto of the Salamander._ I hope you enjoyed it because I'll admit that I had some fun writing it! I'm a few chapters in and I'll admit this is the first Naruto story I've actually felt like writing and done it! Most are just ideas I wish someone out there will just be like, "OMG! This idea is fantastic! I'm writing a story where Naruto…" But this idea stuck, so I hope those of you out there enjoy it.

I'm stilling working on my other fic but writing a lone story gets old and boring from time to time as most writers out there know; this keeps my mind fresh and interested.

_Translation_:

Dokueki – Venom (reference towards both his appearance, abilities and the spider-man character)

See ya next time!


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes:**

I hope you guys liked chapter one and are ready for chapter two!

Big thanks to everyone who commented positively on the story and liked my work!

I prefer short chapters ranging anywhere from three to six-thousand words so they're a nice amount. Long chapters usually get boring and tedious in my opinion, but there are some great writers out there who can make it work.

I love reading and writing but like most authors on this site I do not make a living off of it and have other things I must do. That said I'll at least try and get anywhere between two and four chapters a month. The smaller chapters help with that as well. I'll try and have another update by next Friday but I'm not making any promises, kiddies.

Some people may call this chapter a filler but I call it 'Naruto gettin' some skills.'

Another thing I'd like to point out; I know I don't like a super-powered Naruto and I will try and keep him realistic, that said, Itachi was probably the strongest ninja in his village when he was thirteen and Naruto has more potential than Itachi did in my opinion. Just remember that. A lot of people overdue it and make him strong too quickly just because he magically finds out the purpose of the shadow clone or makes a deal with the Kyuubi. I will not do that but remember who Naruto's father was, who taught him and what he holds; that should help calm the critics when Naruto starts smashing heads cause he will start smashing some heads.

**IIII  
><strong>_**Academy Timez**_**  
>IIII<strong>

"Shut up, Naruto!" Iruka bellowed, glaring at the whisker-faced boy.

Part of the academy student was positively mortified due to being yelled at in front of the entire class, but deep inside, a much larger part was beaming at the 'praise.' He wasn't being ignored anymore; Iruka-sensei really did seem to care even if he showed his way of caring through yelling.

Too bad he wasn't able to catch up with Shikamaru and Chouji with Iruka breathing down his neck; he'd take the acknowledgment over the partial conversation anytime.

"You're just too troublesome, Naruto," Shikamaru muttered from his self-made pillow of folded arms. "It's impossible to sleep without Iruka-sensei yelling thanks to those two troublesome harpies squealing, but with him…" Shikamaru gave his head a little shake and trailed off, attempting to go back to sleep.

Naruto snorted, turning slightly in his seat so he was facing more towards Chouji who happened to be munching on a bag of chips. It was odd how Iruka didn't have a problem with Chouji eating, Shikamaru and Kiba sleeping – most of the time that is – or Ino and Sakura jabbering back and forth about who was going to finally win Sasuke's heart; the latter usually got under Naruto's skin the most though he admitted it to _nobody_.

Once again, a piece of Naruto was a little ticked off at the fact that Iruka was picking on him but a bigger part of him was ecstatic that Iruka happened to notice every little mistake he made. No one else had ever managed to pick up on the fact that Naruto was the one that actually peed on the toilet seats and not Akamaru.

"Hey," Naruto whispered, attempting to be stealthy, "you guys wanna go to the park later?"

Shikamaru grunted what he knew to be an affirmative while Chouji nodded with a mouthful of food.

"Hey," Kiba whispered; his seat was to the right of Chouji and he picked up what was said. "I ain't got nothing better to do so I'm coming too!"

"Whatever, dog breath," Naruto mumbled out the corner of his mouth as he looked forwards worriedly at Iruka-sensei and completely missed a glare sent his way. "Why don't we just invite the entire class, eh?"

"Sure, why not?" Kiba mumbled but Naruto didn't seem to pick up on the sarcasm in the Inuzuka's tone.

"Hey… Hey, Shino! Wanna go to the park with us?" Naruto whisper-shouted to the Aburame a few seats away.

"Going to the park with you would just be a waste of my time. Why? I am actually trying to become a competent shinobi which is something the four of you should be doing as well if you wish to make it past the chuunin exams," the Aburame answered with little to no emotion in his voice.

"Asshole," Naruto muttered, unable to control himself.

"The fact that I'm not going with you to the park does not make me an asshole," said Shino back, his tone of voice never changing but a faint buzzing noise could be heard growing louder and louder.

"Bastard…" Again, Naruto couldn't control himself. Shino really could be a prick sometimes.

Naruto could only shriek like a girl as a swarm of bugs converged on him.

**IIII**

"Ow! Baka! If we're going to use blunted kunai don't aim for the face!"

"I was aiming for your torso!" Naruto shouted back, grimacing at his poor aim. Missing the targets was one thing but damn near taking out Kiba's eye was something totally different.

Even so, the feral boy was smiling good naturedly and Chouji was snickering with Shikamaru managing a snort of his own.

"You really need to work on your aim then," said Kiba, rubbing his sore face. Suddenly, a wicked grin split his animalistic features. "_Sasuke-kun_ hit all the targets," he drawled out.

Grinning maniacally, Naruto prepared another kunai.

**IIII**

After the group dispersed, Naruto got to work. Kiba was right. His aim did need a fair amount of work and he wasn't going to get any better if he didn't practice.

Palming a kunai, Naruto let it fly with a flick of his wrist. Not a moment later the kunai imbedded itself several inches below the target mat, not hitting the bull's eye or even mats itself. Frowning, Naruto sent several more at the target and missed spectacularly with all of them.

"**You're too tense,"** said a voice from behind him, **"and you're stance is incorrect if you're going to throw from that angle."**

Naruto turned towards the voice, a kunai prepared even though it'd probably just get him laughed at only to stop. The salamander was speaking to him again.

"And how do you know? You're a salamander after all," he said in exasperation as if it explained everything.

"**When you get older you'll learn to pick up things and from the looks of it you're putting too much effort into simply throwing a kunai. I sure do hope that Kami is on your side if you plan on putting this much effort in your throwing skills when fighting enemy shinobi."**

"Thanks," Naruto grumbled, turning back to his targets and palming another kunai –

"**You're too flat-footed and you're aim is going to be off, again. Spread your legs a little and stay on the balls of your feet when throwing; relax."**

Despite being ordered around by a mere salamander, Naruto did as he was told. Relaxing and taking a few deep breaths he spread his legs a little putting his left a tad bit in front of his right and took aim. He didn't hit the center but he managed to nick the mat whereas before his aim had been quite literally all over the place.

"Thanks," he muttered, eyeing the salamander.

"**You're welcome, Naruto,"** said the salamander, grinning.

"You're… Dooku, right?"

"**Dokueki,"** was the bland reply.

Rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, Naruto grinned. "Thanks for the tips."

Dokueki inclined his head slightly, eyeing the targets instead of Naruto. **"I hadn't suspected you to be this bad at throwing a kunai after seeing you in live combat."**

Despite it being a salamander and having been insulted in the same sentence, Naruto felt himself flushing at the small bit of praise. "T-that was just adrenaline kicking in."

"**I know what you mean,"** Dokueki muttered.

Naruto nodded and went back to his practice, Dokueki adding little hints here and there when Naruto took out some shuriken he had and a few senbon he'd found. In the few hours they spent in the clearing Naruto's skill at throwing kunai, shuriken and senbon had increased more than ever before. Neither seemed to care that it had darkened and Naruto was passing the time he'd normally be in bed by as they continued to talk, and in Naruto's case, practice.

It all happened to be thanks to a black and white salamander he'd saved not a week earlier.

The legend of Uzumaki Naruto was still just in its infancy.

**IIII**

"You look like crap, Naruto," was Kiba's blunt statement as he took a seat next to the blond; class would be starting in a few minutes.

Naruto managed a weak grin from his position face down on his desk. "I'm pretty sure I could nail you in the balls with a kunai right now. Wanna see?"

Paling drastically, Kiba shook his head. Naruto's poor aim was legendary and even if he wasn't hit in the balls there were many other vital points the blond could take out with his horrible aim.

"Better aim?" A lazy voice floated up behind them. "Naruto having better aim is just plain troublesome for the rest of us."

"Mfmph, that's right, Shika," mumbled Chouji around a mouthful of chips.

Naruto's eye twitched. "Does anybody here want me to be a competent shinobi here?"

Naruto completely missed the fidgety nod of a lavender-eyed kunoichi as a voice spoke up in monotone, "I for one find it commendable that you are actually working towards making yourself something resembling that of a shinobi. Less orange would also be a welcome sight."

"Less orange?" Naruto almost shrieked eyeing the orange shirt he was wearing. Everyone knew his favorite color was orange if the jumpsuit he'd purchased not too long ago was anything to go by. The class would definitely have cause for concern if he started wearing the neon jumpsuit every day in place of his shorts and short-sleeved hoody.

He was making a point. If the Yondaime could wear a white cloak with flames on the bottom of it and still be badass then he'd wear orange and be just as badass.

_Just wait_, he thought. _One day I'll be so powerful that when I wear orange it won't even make a difference_.

"Orange is quite the troublesome color," Shikamaru mumbled. "Sometimes I can't even look at you properly when the angle is off due to the lighting."

Naruto glared, silently vowing to never wear the orange track suit he'd bought.

_And to think, I nearly bought several copies of it! They'd never let me live it down_…

"Assholes…"

"Be quite, class! Now, today we'll be working on the clone technique again…"

**IIII**

Frowning, Naruto flew through the three, simple hand seals.

_Ram, snake, tiger_, "Bunshin no Jutsu!" he cried, his voice echoing off the trees of the clearing he was in.

A single, sickly looking clone greeted him when the small amount of smoke dispersed into nothingness before it abruptly flopped to the forest floor, retching so hard it disappeared with an audible poof.

Growling, Naruto flew through hand seals again, meeting the same result.

"**Too much."**

Spinning on his heal Naruto looked down curiously.

"Dokueki! I thought you'd died!" Naruto exclaimed; he hadn't seen the salamander in a little over a month.

"**I'm here, am I not,"** came a dry retort.

"That you are, that you are," said Naruto, grinning. It was thanks to the salamander that Naruto was now competent at throwing kunai, shuriken and several other ninja tools. "What did you mean, too much?"

"**You're pushing too much chakra into the jutsu – trying too hard, again. Try this, instead of attempting to make just one clone, aim for a hundred or so."**

"A hundred or so?" Naruto exclaimed.

Dokueki nodded and began pacing back and forth a little; it was an odd sight, seeing a salamander lecture like Iruka-sensei liked to do sometimes when he _really_ got into the lesson. **"You're chakra reserves are some of the largest I've seen in my lifetime and you are but a boy of ten. You also happen to have some of the worst control of said chakra I've also ever seen. People would **_**kill**_** to have reserves of your size if it meant having to practice a little chakra control."**

"Why should I make more clones then if I can't even make one?" Naruto whined.

"**First, your control is so bad you couldn't possibly just make one, hell, you could probably make several hundred but you wouldn't even come close to the goal you set with your control at the moment which is why you are just going to go through the seals and allow the charka to designate how many clones you make; don't force it. Second, the clone technique requires little to no chakra at all."** Dokueki frowned. **"If you wish to make just one clone in the future you will need to find a technique that requires more chakra."**

"There are more clone techniques?"

"**Yes." **Dokueki sighed.** "There are quite a few. Earth, water, lightning and sand, just to name a few and they are actually solid for the most part unlike the illusionary jutsu you're currently working on."**

Naruto grinned. "So just go through the seals and let my chakra guide me to success, eh?"

"**That would be your best bet, yes."**

Quickly moving through the three simple hand seals Naruto could only gape at the several _thousand_ perfect replicas of himself.

Clone jutsu, indeed.

"Yatta!"

Once the first step was complete and Naruto completely mastered the basic clone technique Dokueki even managed to help Naruto get down the mizu bunshin with relative ease. He had no clue if the boy held an affinity to water but if his last name was anything to go by then the ability to mold water chakra ran through his blood.

As Naruto high fived with a solid water clone Dokueki grinned at the child-like smile plastered on both Naruto and his clone's whiskered face.

Things were moving on smoothly. Perhaps the salamanders would shed their current air of disgrace thanks to Hanzou and rise to power once more with the help of Uzumaki Naruto.

_Yes_, he thought as Naruto managed to create a half-dozen perfect water clones, _we'll do it with his help_.

**IIII**

"Hey, Sakura-chan – Sakura-chan! You wanna go on a date with me?"

"No, baka!"

Sakura's fist then connected painfully with Naruto's face; why was he smiling then? A moment later the clone exploded in a shower of water that drenched the pink-haired student.

Suffice to say, the class found it hilarious, Iruka found it impressive, Sakura was furious and Naruto had already fled the classroom for the day. Sakura was too nervous to actually hit Naruto the next day as the water clone _had_ been able to fool them pretty good…

**IIII**

"Alright, class," said Iruka patiently, smiling fondly at his class. With Naruto taking things seriously – for the most part – he was able to spend much more time actually teaching and training his students instead of either helping Naruto extra or worrying if something was wrong with his desk. "We're going to be working on the substitution technique today; better known to some as a Kawarimi." To demonstrate this point Iruka then swapped places with a sulking Mizuki. "Now," he said from the other side of the classroom, "who would like to try first?"

It was no surprise that Naruto raised his hand before getting up and swaggering to the front of the class.

He normally was the first to volunteer even if they hadn't practiced the technique, knowing full well he'd fail much like every other student in the class on their first attempt. Sometimes he really was a glutton for punishment.

Little did anyone know Dokueki had already schooled Naruto on both the kawarimi _and_ shunshin. The kawarimi had been a piece of cake but the shunshin was still a bit out of his league as his chakra control was still shit.

"_**They are both techniques a ninja must know if they wish to survive. A lowly genin should know the kawarimi years before they graduate and the shunshin before they go out for their first mission. Hanzou was particularly well-known for his use of the shunshin as was the late Uchiha Shisui. If I have my you will be much the same."**_

Naruto turned towards the class and made a show of slowly going through the hand seals; with a few whispered words – for effect of course – he was sitting atop of Kiba's desk with a happily yipping Akamaru in his arms while Kiba angrily dusted himself off and made his way towards Naruto.

"Well done, Naruto," Iruka praised, eying him speculatively. "Very well done. Now, who'd like to go next?"

The site of Sasuke failing on his first attempt left a sweet taste in Naruto's mouth like that of piping hot miso ramen. He knew it wasn't good to gloat as his first time wasn't in front of the class, but still…

"Nice try, Sasuke," said Iruka gently.

As Sasuke made his way back to his seat he and Naruto locked eyes.

"Hn," he said, giving a curt nod of respect to the blond.

"Hn." Naruto returned the gesture although he happened to be smirking unlike Sasuke who had been grumpy.

"Cha! Leave Sasuke-kun alone, Naruto!"

"Hey Sakura, I learned how to make a clone out of dog shit, wanna punch it?"

Sakura didn't say another word to Naruto all day and as cute as Sakura was it didn't seem to bother him all that much.

**IIII**

Naruto stood in one of the unused training grounds, panting and drenched in sweat. His hands and feet were sore and nearing their limits; tape or not.

"**Nice workout,"** Dokueki complimented. Naruto smiled, he'd been waiting for him to show his face.

"Thanks. I've gotten the academy style down pat but it isn't enough," he admitted, shaking his head.

"**No,"** Dokueki agreed, **"it isn't."**

Taking out his canteen and drinking deeply from it, Naruto frowned as he wiped his face. "They teach us the bare minimum and hope we don't die. For us without family or anyone to help us we never are able get ahead. I know Sasuke doesn't have a family anymore but he still has his family style of taijutsu as does Kiba and Chouji. Defeating Sasuke in a spar is damn-near impossible."

Dokueki hid a grin. **"You wish to learn a new style of taijutsu?"** At Naruto's vigorous nod, he continued. **"Begin stretching – now, and every morning and before you do any kind of training whether that be kunai and shuriken throwing, practicing clone techniques or even homework. Stretch, and when I deem you fit, you will begin to learn…"**

And so he stretched, and he stretched, _and he stretched_.

Naruto knew better than to question Dokueki as he hadn't once led him astray or did something without meaning. He also knew that if he questioned the sadistic little salamander he'd be put to work even harder, and as much as Naruto liked working hard he liked being able to get up in the morning without wincing in pain.

"**Enough."**

"Enough?" Naruto repeated, slightly confused many weeks later.

"**You are ready to begin learning Salamander Style, better known as Odori no Sanshouuo–Dance of the Salamander."**

"Really?" Naruto asked excitedly.

"**Yes. Now do exactly as I say and you may become competent…"**

And competent Naruto was. He picked up everything like a sponge. Well, everything that was able to hold his interest. Other things he usually deemed unnecessary and didn't pay it attention so it obviously fled his mind the moment he let the subject drop. Stuff like distance to time was lost on him but things like where to put a kunai to disable someone with killing them stuck to him like smell on Kiba.

Taijutsu just happened to be something that _really_ interested Naruto.

The Salamander Style wasn't what many would consider taijutsu – not really, anyway – and not many could pick it up. The style itself relied on flexibility many didn't have and to really grasp the technique it had to instilled at an early age, preferably before the ninja learning it lost himself in the crisp, curt, cool and calculated life that a ninja lived.

It relied heavily on bending and flexibility but more than anything it relied on going with the flow; not precise strikes where the user knew where they were going. The Salamander Style wasn't based on luck but it was a part of it, no, the style was more about taking open and wide shots – some many would consider dangerous and downright idiotic most of the time. That would be true if they hadn't mastered the style and foolishly attempted.

Thus it just happened to be the perfect style for Naruto who had amazing flexibility and was willing to take a blow if it came to it; he feared little and a fist to his chin wasn't one of them.

"**Good,"** said Dokueki. Naruto was currently upside down, his hands planted firmly on the ground with his feet not too far away, stuck to the earth with a thin layer of chakra; he looked like the letter U. **"Enough."**

Naruto let the chakra holding his feet to the ground slip away as he stood up calmly, shaking his head a little to clear it.

"What now, sensei?"

"**There isn't much more I can teach in this aspect,"** he admitted, sparing Naruto a grin. **"Repetition isn't good nor is it necessary with this style, just keep stretching whenever you can."** If Dokueki had eyebrows Naruto figured they'd be furrowed at the moment. **"A weapon would also help."**

"I have kunai, shuriken and senbon…"

"**No."** He shook his head. **"Something with reach and flexibility – something unorthodox. Hanzou was known for using a Kusarigama – a sickle and chain – with deadly ease and precision even against the finest samurai the Land of Iron had to offer. The movements provided through our style only helped him and the chain added an excellent amount or reach."**

"What should I do then, sensei?" Naruto asked, chewing his lip.

"**Don't worry. When the time comes you'll know what to do. I am sure, Naruto. Now, let us return to your apartment and have some of that delicious ramen."**

**IIII**

Months passed and Naruto continued to train with Dokueki in secret. People knew he was getting better they just couldn't figure it out. Some people were pleased by this while others were both envious and appalled that 'that kid,' was becoming an actual ninja with some skill; though none dared say it out loud most just wished he'd graduate and die on his first hard mission.

He trusted what friends he had but he didn't want to bother them with his troublesome problems as Shikamaru would have called it. There would be time soon enough for them to have actual worries about living and dying due to a proper clone or taijutsu style, so he wanted to keep it as friendly as possible for what little time he actually had left. You never knew when your card was going to get punched in the ninja world, after all.

As it was, Dokueki helped Naruto with what Iruka-sensei and his friends couldn't and the classes didn't actually cover for the most part; advanced charka control (leaf sticking and tree climbing), and other techniques the salamander thought useful. Some of the stuff was fairly unique while other information was stuff people picked up over time – which mushrooms were edible, which were useful for healing purposes and which could be used in making different kinds poisons ranging from the kind that'd be coated on a blade to the kind that'd be placed in a cup of tea.

To say that Naruto wasn't the dead-last anymore would be akin to calling Uchiha Sasuke as friendly as a box full of fluffy brown kittens with little red bows. That prestigious title was handed over to Kiba who didn't have the natural book smarts as Shikamaru did and didn't quite care enough to put forth his best efforts like some others did (Naruto for one and Sasuke for another). All in all, Naruto was only a single spot behind the last Uchiha and was damn proud to say just that.

He'd show that teme one day, though. Believe it.

He'd show them _all_ one day. Believe it!

**IIII**

**Author's Notes:**

Some people may be like, "Your sooo stupid and this is totally unbelievable! There's no way a salamander could teach Naruto all of that stuff, noob!" My response is this, "If Jiraiya's dumbass – and he was a dumbass – could be trained by the toads then Naruto can be trained by the salamanders." Not to mention Naruto learnt Sage mode from the toads and a fighting style. Dokueki isn't teaching Naruto much besides stances and techniques which are simple ones he remembered by heart and all he needed to train Naruto was a good memory. They aren't sparring and he isn't doing all kinds of crazy stuff; he's pretty much just instructing Naruto.

I know it isn't the same as the toads in the Naruto world seem to be more human than anything else so just go with it, and if you find the story too stupid to keep readying then by all means stop reading.

I like the color orange, but that orange jumpsuit Naruto wore in the beginning was downright hideous. The Shippuuden one wasn't much better but it was passable. Right now he's just wearing the outfit seen in flashbacks; the one he wore in episode Naruto Shippuuden: 177.

Some people may feel the need to put forth what kind of weapon Naruto should have but I've already chosen; it isn't a huge part of the story but without it there would be some holes as I've centered a few pieces of the story around him getting and using it. Here's a hint: The weapon is named after an anime character. I won't say the name of the character or the anime/manga he or she comes from; just that the weapon(s) has a name and the name itself comes from a fairly popular anime character. Whoever figures it out will get an e-shout out.

_Translation_:

Bunshin no Jutsu – Clone Technique  
>Mizu Bunshin – Water Clone<br>Kawarimi no Jutsu – Body Replacement Technique  
>Shunshin no Jutsu – Body Flicker Technique<br>Odori no Sanshouuo – Dance of the Salamander


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Notes:**

This is essentially the final chapter of the 'prologue' if you wanna call it that. The next chapter will start the beginning of the real series and after that Naruto will be assigned a team and so forth. Like I said, the story will follow the parameters of canon but as it goes you'll notice the subtle changes in how characters interact with each other and such as the story becomes longer and longer. If I have my way the story will be over 100k words and at least 50 chapters. Like Force of Love I have a guideline of the arcs and chapters, only this story seems to be three-times the size, lol.

On another note; I do answer some questions in the Author's Notes but most are actually taken care of in my profile for anyone wondering. I can't help myself when I see some reviews so since I can't really post a chapter that isn't finished with some notes I just post em in my profile. This is just a little note for those people out there wondering why I'm not responding; its not here, thats all.

Finally, I am only posting this as it is relatively short chapter and I wouldn't want my adoring fans to wait over a week only to be swindled by a short chapter like this.

**Remember**; after this chapter I will be posting one chapter a week and that is at that most, the least being two a month (one every two weeks). You can expect chapter four to be released 10/16/2011 at the latest. Who knows, perhaps if the story has over a hundred views I might make an exception and upload the completed chapter a little early… just sayin' is all.

Enjoy.

**IIII  
><strong>_**Water, Fire, Salamanders for Hire!**_**  
>IIII<strong>

Flexing in the mirror, Naruto admired his miniscule muscles appreciatively. He wasn't 'ripped' and doubted he ever would be, but he was getting there. He sure as hell had more muscles than Shikamaru and Chouji; possibly Kiba but who really knew what kind of supplements those Inuzuka were fed and nobody got to see what Shino really looked like with that jacket that covered nearly all of him.

_He's probably got fat thighs_, Naruto thought, nodding sagely before looking himself over once more. "I look badass though," he mumbled.

"**Modest as ever, I see,"** said Dokueki from his place on Naruto's kitchen table.

Flushing in embarrassment Naruto pulled on a t-shirt before throwing the salamander a rude hand gesture.

"I'm just admiring the fruits of labor as they say, or, 'the youthful seeds that are in full bloom!' All the hard work we've been doing is starting to pay off, finally!"

Dokueki nodded politely. **"It is, but that does not mean you have to give yourself a show every time you dress and undress. We also aren't doing this so you can pile on muscles, Naruto."**

"I know, I know," he murmured before holding his chin a little higher and standing rigid. "We are doing this to bring respect and fear back to both the Uzumaki and Salamanders!"

"**Exactly! Now, Naruto, I would be forever in your debt if you were to just bring that bowl of ramen a little closer for me."**

Naruto did just that, wincing ever-so slightly. Dokueki's addiction to ramen was going to put him back a few ryu…

**IIII**

"Why am I doing this?" Naruto mumbled; there were several leaves sticking to his fingertips.

"**To help with your **_**still**_** horrendous chakra control,"** Dokueki answered without missing a beat.** "I wish to teach you the few jutsus I know of but I can't if your control is horrible."**

"Yeah, yeah," he mumbled as he began going through his stretches; the leaves never left their places on his hands.

"**Get to work, Naruto,"** said Dokueki; Naruto did just that.

"So what kind of awesome jutsus you going to teach me, hmm?" Naruto asked excitedly as he went through a set of sit-ups. It would have been a normal site had Naruto not being hanging upside down from a tree branch with only a layer of chakra keeping him from falling to the ground below.

"**I have something you need to be able to do before we move forwards and teach you a few jutsus."**

Naruto nodded. "Which jutsus?" he eagerly asked, completely disregarding what his mentor had just said.

The salamander sighed. **"Two simple ones; the great fireball technique the Uchiha clan is known for and a water technique the Uzumaki clan was once known for; raging waves."**

"Great!" he chirped. "When can I learn?"

A toothy grin tugged at Dokueki's face. **"When you can do **_**this**_**!"**

_This_ just happened to be walking on the water without a hint of worry or trepidation; Dokueki was as comfortable walking on the surface of the water as he was land.

"Aww man…"

Even with his griping and pessimistic attitude Naruto was able to easily walk atop the water in less than a week; it was an impressive sight to say the very least.

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, sensei!" Naruto whined. "I gotta learn these so I can shove a fireball down Sasuke's throat! You know I saw him doing this _years_ ago? Years!" he repeated with bulging eyes.

"**You will need to wait a little longer because I wouldn't dream of teaching you a fire technique before we could properly put it out and this water jutsu will do just that. Now here are the hand signs."**

"Gotcha!" Naruto shouted gleefully as he cracked his neck. There was only three signs for the technique and he was determined to get them down easily; not waiting for any signal, he began.

_Dragon_, _tiger,_ _hare_, "Suiton: Mizu Ranpa!"

Naruto was rewarded for his haste and lack of self-control with a mouthful of water that in turn became a small wave that splashed harmlessly against his chest and boisterous laughter from a certain salamander.

"Kuso!"

Dokueki shook his head as Naruto went through the hand seals and retried again, and again until he got the technique down correctly.

_He has determination, I'll give him that much…_

**IIII**

"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" Naruto cried before a large fireball roughly three feet tall and two foot wide left his mouth and slammed into a boulder he had aimed for.

"**Excellent! Now put it out before the ANBU comes rushing in and arrests you for damaging property."**

"Hai! Suiton: Mizu Ranpa!" This time a much larger wave of water erupted from Naruto's mouth and overtook the roaring fire in front of him; the rock hissed as steam rose and the fire was effectively put out. While the fireball mirrored that of an oven or possibly a desk in size the 'wall' of water was easily ten feet high and six feet wide.

_Interesting_, Dokueki thought as Naruto perfected the only two offensive jutsus he knew. _His affinity for water is only growing if he speaks the truth._

"_**Naruto," **__he said patiently.__** "When you make a water clone, how do you feel?"**_

"_Fine," he chirped. "Better now, though, to be honest. It's been getting easier and easier; I have even more energy now a days when using them!"_

To Dokueki it was plain as day the boy did not hold a complete affinity for water and he would definitely not be turning any sheets of chakra paper to ash if his fireballs were anything to go by.

Water doused fire while fire trumped wind. Wind sliced easily through lightning but lightning held firm against earth; earth brought everything home by besting water thus repeating the cycle.

Naruto's strength with fire – or lack thereof – was proof that his prowess with water was much stronger than that of his fire, and in turn his possible weakness against earth. If he did happen to hold an affinity for water then that more likely than not left earth out of the category, leaving Naruto with the options of wind, water and lightning; three impressive choices given the circumstances and place of living.

Lightning and water weren't 'natural enemies' but it was fairly uncommon for one to use both together without special training and given his weakness to fire the logical choice was wind, even though they were in Fire County.

Even though Dokueki was a firm believer in blood he wasn't quite ready to bet his money on Naruto holding an affinity for anything at the moment; they'd just have to wait and see.

"**That is good, Naruto,"** he praised. **"Rest easy for now and we will soon begin the water walking exercise to help you gain even better control of your chakra reserves. Once you are able to perform every technique you know atop of a moving river you will be ready for the final test. It will not be easy but the best things in life are always worth the effort."**

**IIII**

He wasn't one to brag, much. Ok, maybe he still dig brag often, but it wasn't nearly as big of a loudmouth as he had once been not so long ago. Sometimes it felt like years when it had really only been months… and more months. They say time flew and it seemed that not even Naruto realized he had actually been training with Dokueki for nearly a year.

Standing atop a rapidly moving river and spewing forth waves of water that were three times his size had him really taking it all in.

It honestly hadn't seemed real until he'd produced that first fireball and it had lit a tree ablaze like nothing. Sure, learning how to make clones and teleport and fight in new stances was cool but destroying a tree with a few hand seals and words was something else – something much cooler.

_If only you could see me now, old man_, Naruto thought as he bellowed out a fireball that sent water hissing and spraying atop of him and the patches of grass to his left and right.

"**Very good, Naruto. Now come here and keep quiet while I speak."** The authority in Dokueki's voice both frightened and excited him. **"I wish to tell you a story and I do not want to be interrupted by you."** Naruto nodded quickly, settling himself in. **"There once was a boy named Hanzou…"**

**IIII**

"Let me get this straight," said Naruto slowly, digesting the information and picking it apart, "you're only as small as you are because you don't have a proper ninja to summon you?"

"**Aye, it is the truth. Hanzou deems it beneath him to summon anything but the boss – Ibuse. Never met the prick myself – Hanzou that is, although Ibuse isn't a box of chocolates either –, but from what Ibuse has said, he can be a right foul asshole sometimes and paranoid the rest. In essence, I – and several other salamanders – happen to be suffering due to his arrogance. We cannot grower stronger without being 'fed' the chakra of a proper summoner."**

"So you want me to be your summoner?" Naruto questioned with barely withheld glee. He restrained himself a little and now that he actually looked, Dokueki did seem to be a little larger. _Little bastards been feeding without my consent!_

Dokueki nodded and sighed as if resigning himself to a horrible fate; Naruto knew the salamander good enough to know he was simply messing with him and was actually quite pleased. **"You're trustworthy enough and from the looks of things you have a plethora of untapped potential," **he said, eyeing Naruto's naval for some odd reason.

"Fine," said Naruto eagerly. "Where do I sign?"

"**First you must draw forth some of my blood and place it on your hands – normally this would be your blood – then make the hand signs as I tell you."**

Naruto listened intently and did just that, taking a kunai and using it to pick up a little of Dokueki's blood from a wound he made with the kunai before spreading it along his hands as if it was lotion. When it was layered nicely amongst them he began going through the seals as Dokueki had instructed him, slowly; having been told the amount of chakra wouldn't matter for the time being.

_Boar, dog, bird, monkey, ram,_ "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Naruto shouted for the very first time before slamming his right hand down and waiting for a reaction.

He didn't have to wait long as not a moment later an old – positively fossil – salamander the color of sour milk appeared with a scroll that looked too large for it strapped to its back. The salamander spared Naruto a look before bowing its head to Dokueki and allowing the scroll to fall of its back.

Naruto wasted no time in unrolling the scroll and giving it a once over. He didn't even gasp when he saw that Hanzou was the only name on the scroll while using the same kunai as before to draw some blood from his pointer finger and signing his name; he was older now but still had to refrain from dotting the 'I' in Uzumaki with a smiley-face. He happily rolled up the scroll and attached it to the old salamanders back before turning to Dokueki, awaiting further orders. He must have been missing something as Dokueki sent another nod to the elder salamander who nodded back and opened his mouth, belching forwards a bracelet of sorts.

"**This will be your first test. You must summon two salamanders to help you fulfill this ritual of sorts."**

"I take it any two ordinary salamanders' won't do, will they?" asked Naruto, frowning.

"**A salamander of water and fire is all you need,"** said Dokueki sagely.

Naruto nodded in resignation and began going through hand seals.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

"**No… no… definitely not… that would be the egg and that would be the…never mind… no, wait, there you go!"**

"**Who dares summon me?"** A rather small – around half the size of Dokueki by Naruto's rough estimation – black and red salamander bellowed as loud as it could.

Squinting, Naruto took in the little salamander's appearance. It was indeed black with red, tiger-like strips along its body with a burnt orange underbelly and bulging, round eyes that all salamanders seemed to have along with razor sharp teeth.

"**Be quiet, youngling,"** snapped Dokueki. **"This is the new summoner of our kin, Uzumaki Naruto."**

The red and black salamander eyed all three of them wearily.** "What need do you have for me?"**

"**How old are you, young one?"**

"**Four winters,"** he said hesitantly.

"**Good. You will do. Keep summoning, Naruto. Aim for water this time."**

Naruto nodded and again he started summoning. It only took him three tries this time till he had a salamander slightly larger than Dokueki in front of him amongst many other little salamanders that were milling about. This one was black, with blue bubble-like shapes along his back and a cream colored underbelly. The teeth and eyes were much the same.

"**Yo,"** it said as a friendly way of greeting, grinning at them with its sharp teeth.

"**Begin the ritual,"** said Dokueki quietly; all the salamanders nodded seriously and began to move without hesitation.

Naruto was the only one confused as all of the little salamanders he had summoned circled around him, the red and black salamander, the blue and black salamander, the old salamander, and Dokueki.

Suddenly the red and black salamander began spewing forth flames that abruptly engulfed the bracelet the older salamander had released from its mouth. While this was happening the blue and black salamander began sucking in air and Naruto could feel the air around him become colder though the night was warm.

Naruto was very confused.

"**That is good,"** said Dokueki, eying the flames. **"Hold out your arm, Naruto."**

He did so without hesitation, already having a pretty good idea of what was about to happen. Still, he couldn't hold in his cry of pain that erupted from his mouth when the red-hot metal was placed around his right wrist securely. Time seemed to go on forever as his skin was literally burnt black. With a nod from Dokueki that blue and black salamander began spewing forth ice-cold water that immediately soothed the burning wound on his arm. Without another word the old salamander used its elongated tongue to snatch up the bracelet, swallowing it hole right before a green glow courtesy of Dokueki swarmed his cooling wound, healing it.

Grimacing and twitching every so often, Naruto eyed the 'tattoo' on his wrist. It was black as the night but the skin around it was a little red and raw. Turning his wrist he finally took in the design.

It was a salamander with a tail wrapping itself snugly around the inside of his wrist and connecting to the head of the salamander which rested at the top of his wrist, lined perfectly with his middle-finger. If one looked close enough it looked as though the salamander was eating its own tail.

"**It is done."**

As one, all of the salamanders surrounding the group bowed their heads slightly before disappearing.

"**You may leave now,"** said Dokueki. The salamander that held the scroll was gone a moment later.

"Wait! Why?" Naruto questioned, eying the two salamanders that had participated in the ritual with interest.

"**Why not?"** questioned Dokueki right back.

"Well, I figured those two could stay with us," he said, pointing to the red and blue salamanders.

"**Whys that?"** asked the red salamander angrily. **"Look at me! I'm tiny!" **Naruto didn't doubt that the little salamander had insecurity issues; he'd once been the same before he starting kicking some ass.

Naruto shrugged, smiling. "So am I, but I can't spew flames like that either – not yet anyway. Besides, Dokueki said that he'd get bigger now that he has a proper summoner to train with so hopefully you guys will too. We'll all get stronger together!"

"**You're willing to train with us – help **_**us**_** get stronger – instead of casting us aside and settling for stronger of our kind?"** asked the blue salamander hesitantly, almost disbelievingly.

"Yup! Now what are your guys' names? I'm Naruto!"

"**Yakedo,"** said the red and black salamander curtly, still eying Naruto distrustfully.

The blue and black salamander gave Naruto a searching look before grinning broadly. **"Se!"**

Dokueki eyed the three of them with a toothy grin. **"And so it begins…"**

The time for Naruto to truly show Konoha had not come yet but it was nearing and he would be ready when it did; he'd be ready for anything.

The dead-last dobe was gone and a truly competent shinobi stood in his sandals. He was ready for anything the Hokage and village had to throw at him and he was going to face it with his chin held high.

The prologue to the Tale of Uzumaki Naruto was finally ending and the beginning of the legend was rapidly approaching.

He had passed all the test given to him so far, the next was graduation and he had time to get ready.

_Wait'll they get a load of me_…

**IIII**

**Author's Notes:**

That is the third chapter of this story and I hope you've enjoyed the ride so far. Next chapter we begin to get into the real action if you know what I'm talking about.

_Translation_:

Suiton: Mizu Ranpa – Water Release: Raging Waves  
>Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu – Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique<br>Kuchiyose no Jutsu – Summoning Technique  
>Yakedo (name) – Scald and burn<br>Se (name) – Rapids or torrents of water


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Notes:**

Hello there, folks! Thanks for all the amazing updates and even though I probably do deserve some saying my story sucks I haven't got any I can point out! You guys like me, you really like me!

Sorry to some people who wanted a more in-depth training experience with the salamanders but I didn't feel like messin' around for two years so I went with the dreaded 'time-skip'. Make no mistake, Naruto is no match for any jounin at the moment but it is safe to say that he is chuunin-level.

Anyway, back to the story. Enjoy this chapter!

**IIII  
><strong>_**Graduation**_**  
>IIII<strong>

Naruto strode confidently through the streets of Konohagakure no Sato with a grin plastered onto his whiskered face and his fingers interlocked behind his neck.

It was time to shine and show Konoha what he was made of. By the end of the day he'd have a shiny forehead protector holding up his neon-blond locks instead of the orange headband that currently did.

Nothing could put him down – not now and not anymore. He'd long since become pretty much immune – or so he thought – to the glares sent his way which had been dwindling down as of late, mainly due to the semi-serious attitude he had picked up over the past couple of years. It still hurt somewhat – he wouldn't be human if it didn't hurt – but he'd gained friends and battled the pain and loneliness that had tried to corrupt his fragile heart. He wasn't alone anymore.

_And it was all thanks to a salamander_…

Naruto fingered the clear black marking around wrist with a gentle finger, rubbing it from the snout of the salamander that looked to be snarling all the way till its tail was being swallowed. Sometimes in the right lighting the salamander almost looked alive.

Shrugging, Naruto began sprinting towards the academy for his last day. It was time to become a genin, finally.

Several shopkeepers shouted obscenities as a black and orange blur surged past them, ruffling their hair and sending small objects askew.

Who said Uzumaki Naruto didn't prank or cause mischief anymore?

Coming to a stop Naruto looked over himself with a critical eye in the pond that stood proud before one could enter the academy doors.

He still wore orange – obviously, how could he not? – but it wasn't as major as it had been or would have been had he kept the tracksuit. For bottoms he wore a black pair of shorts along with tape that covered his shins, calves, ankles and stopped just short of his knees with the tape itself reaching into the black shinobi sandals he wore; a bright orange belt held up his shorts when he remembered to put it on. For a top he wore a black and orange long-sleeve turtle-neck that was lined with a light but durable material for helping guard himself against some kunai and shuriken, guarding his chest, back and throat along with two identical orange spots on his elbows in the shape of what he had learned was the Uzumaki clan symbol; there was also a black, hood-like piece of cloth that could be pulled up to cover his blond hair at a moment's notice and an equally black piece that could cover his face and more importantly, whisker marks. Kunai and shuriken holsters were strapped to his each thigh and a fanny pack – much to his displeasure even if it was orange – was strapped around his waist, holding a little bit of everything; senbon, ninja wire, smoke bombs, solider and blood pills, exploding tags, bandages and everything else a ninja might need in the field.

_Besides_, he thought, sending himself a confident wink, _with all the training I've been doing I now have even __more__ muscles! I look totally badass now!_

It was quite true. Due to the much harsher physical training he had been forced to undergo if only to satisfy Dokueki and his fellow salamanders Yakedo and Se he was seeing the end results after almost two years. He'd all but mastered the Salamander Style and his new build was proof of that. He would never be overly-muscular but he had gotten taller with wiry muscles that filled him out nicely; no one in his graduating class dare call him a shrimp and get away with it.

There wasn't much more the salamanders could teach him besides their 'clan' techniques, collaboration jutsus they had worked on together, a few basic jutsus they had picked up along the way and some chakra control lessons but Naruto valued all of their knowledge and respected their words above many others.

His choice of clothing had been a lesson in itself he would never forget.

"_**Ninja do not wear orange, Naruto. Not a smart ninja anyways. You will wear black. Why? Black shows no pain, no fear, no blood; black shows no weakness and you will not be weak – we will not be weak and we will show no weakness. We will crush our enemies and protect our loved ones and when you finally decided to quite being a ninja I will have an orange shirt ready for you."**_

The salamanders had friended him in a time of need and turned a moron into a competent ninja and he would not turn his back on them – he never went back on his word. It was his nindou, his ninja way.

Smiling as he walked, Naruto thought of the three salamanders that had forever changed his life.

Dokueki used to spend most of his time with Naruto – he still did on a certain level – having lived with him for a time, but after growing to the size of an Inuzuka hound he couldn't continue moving unnoticed and decided to simply heed Naruto's call like a normal summon, moving back to wherever salamanders lived; Naruto was still not that privileged to know that bit of info. Se had continued to grow and Naruto was quite proud to say that the top of his head was at least twenty feet from the ground; the day he rode atop of him in the Forest of Death was one of the happiest moments of his life. Yakedo had also grown in size leveling with that of a wagon and carriage and his flames had nearly caused a forest fire on more than one occasion.

He'd met a few other salamanders but none had stuck around like the trio since that fateful day; others did comment on his wonderful garden of tasty herbs he usually kept stocked next to his window. He desperately wanted to summon the boss – Ibuse – but all three had forbid him. Summoning Ibuse would surely alert Hanzou to another summoner of salamanders and that was only a problem, and they could not have that. Hanzou was paranoid enough – or so all three had said – and the idea of someone using 'his' summons was practically treason.

Snorting, Naruto side-stepped a pretty brunet with a stack of papers in her hands and made his way into Iruka's classroom for the last time as an academy student and civilian.

The class was practically buzzing with excitement as Naruto made his way towards his tight-knit group of friends.

"Tubby, Sleepy, Smelly." Two growls and a snort were his answers. Turning, he greeted the other two boys in the class who held some sort of respect from him. "Bug-boy, Teme."

Shino's no doubt monotone retort was interrupted by Ino and Sakura barging their way into the classroom, apparently fighting over who would get to the classroom first as if it was some kind of race. Knowing who the two kunoichi's minds worked – if only just a little – he didn't doubt that was what they were actually doing.

Naruto watched as they shoved their way to find a seat next to Sasuke. It was a recurring act and happened several times a week.

_I never wished I was the teme before but I wouldn't mind it if for only a few hours_…

Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino had only gotten prettier over the years in his opinion. Both of them had athletically fit and still developing bodies but the outline they would hold later in life were still there. Both also had the most beautiful shades of green eyes he'd even seen; their eyes could be a forest-green when they were mad and as bright as emeralds when they were happy.

An 'eep' caught his attention. It seemed that Hyuuga Hinata had arrived. Naruto'd be lying if he said she wasn't cute, as she was especially when she got all flustered, or, 'hot and bothered' as Kiba liked to call it. She just didn't hold the confidence Ino had or the tenacity that Sakura did. She was simply shy and in the background and Naruto did not find that attractive in any way shape or form. Sometimes he wondered why a kind girl like her was even a ninja then remembered what family she came from. He needed a woman that would slap him in the face and _take_ his bowl of ramen away from him, not plead with him to have something healthier.

Shuddering slightly from his own horrifying train of thought he leaned back in his seat and waited for Iruka to arrive. It was time to graduate already!

"Quiet, quiet," Iruka grumbled as he made his way into the classroom several minutes later; much too late for Naruto's tastes.

"Ohayo, Iruka-sensei!" several people chorused as their sensei entered the room, Naruto being one of them.

"Today – as you already know – you will be taking your final exams; the jutsu portion, that is. We will start with the clone technique, then move onto the transformation technique and finally the substitution technique. The room next door will be where the exams are administered when I call your name."

The class had taken the written exams yesterday along with the taijutsu portion of the exam and all that was left was the practical ninjutsu portion. Naruto would have liked nothing more to have another good brawl with Sasuke – they had actually came to a draw in the taijutsu finals the day before – but that was behind them and he had to settle for reliving some tension twirling a leaf on his pointer finger; it was also a basic piece of chakra control. He had gotten much better but his reserves never seemed to stop growing and complete control always seemed to be just out of his grasp.

Naruto could only sit patiently, slowly rotating a leaf as name after name was called. Nearly everyone in the class was gone when his name was finally called. Had he still been the loudmouth idiot he used to be – ok, maybe he still was – he'd of probably cracked under the pressure of waiting.

"Alright, Naruto," said Iruka-sensei, smiling pleasantly. "Make at least three clones."

"Easy," Naruto boasted, quickly performing the hand seals. "Bunshin no Jutsu!"

A dozen perfect clones shimmered to life behind Naruto; three basic clones were still out of his league and he didn't feel like answering the questions that came along with knowing how to perform water clones.

Mizuki eyes narrowed. "He said three, boy." _Ah, maybe I should have just made the water clones_…

Iruka raised an eyebrow at the somewhat hostile treatment. "He provided more than enough to prove he is capable of the technique, Mizuki-san. I believe a transformation is next, Naruto-kun. Feel free to pick your choice."

Flexing his arms, Naruto made a hand seal. "Henge!"

An exact clone of Mizuki appeared in front of Iruka and Mizuki. Naruto made a show of picking 'Mizuki's' nose.

"And finally, substitute yourself with that dummy leaning against the back wall."

Five hand seals later and Naruto was leaning against the wall with the dummy in front of the two teachers.

Iruka beamed with pride. Mizuki on the other land looked as though he'd been stabbed in the thigh with a kunai.

"Ahem," Naruto cleared his throat. "I'll take my hitai-ate in black, please."

**IIII**

Naruto did his best not too grin too much as he made a show of adjusting his forehead protector every couple of seconds, making sure to do it in the presence of the villagers who didn't seem to like him.

That was something he'd need to figure out. Why did they dislike him? He was positive Dokueki knew on some level but the salamander hadn't told him. It was almost as if the salamander held some of the cards, but not all and didn't want to assume wrong.

Adjusting his forehead protector one more, Naruto giggled before dashing down the street: his destination, home.

Not only was he very exhausted and tired as he had just gorged himself on ramen for the first time in what seemed like ages but he also wanted to let Dokueki and the others know the good news. He couldn't really summon the other two anymore as he didn't really want it to be public knowledge he was 'fraternizing with the enemy' and they were quite big but Dokueki wouldn't collapse his apartment if he summoned him in his living room.

The secrecy of his summons was something that worried him on at least a weekly basis. When he'd been younger he'd been petrified that the ANBU would find and execute them for having played some part in the defeat of the Sannin all those years ago; Dokueki and the rest had put his mind at ease by letting him know if forced to flee they could easily escape. Naruto also wasn't one to jump to conclusions much but he had these feelings that the old man knew who he'd been training with but chose not to speak out, if anything, he seemed to aprove.

As it was, Naruto's dangers senses were on high alert when he entered his apartment – his door had already been wide open; the quiet sound of someone sipping tip was heard coming from his kitchen.

It didn't dampen at all when he entered said kitchen only to find Mizuki drinking tea out of one of his cups, a large scroll to his left and a kunai to his right side.

"Mizuki-sensei?" Naruto questioned, ready for combat at a moment's notice; years of training would do that to you.

"Take a seat, Naruto." Naruto had dealt with much unpleasantness his whole life and Mizuki was barely holding himself from leaping across the table and jabbing him in his blue eyes with whatever he could get his greasy hands on.

"I think it'd be best if you just left, Mizuki." His glacial tone or loss of the honorific was not lost on Mizuki who dropped the somewhat pleasant look and a look of absolute fury overtook his face. "You wouldn't want me to tell the Hokage about you breaking into my house now would you?"

"You won't be speaking much once I'm through with you, boy," he sneered before he leapt into action.

Outside of Naruto's apartment building civilians and ninja alike could only gape as a fuuma shuriken took out a window of the apartment they all knew that 'that boy' lived in a moment before civilians and ninja on the other side of the building saw a fireball the size of a fruit stand take out the entire wall.

Naruto had never been more thankful in his entire life for the fact that nobody wanted to live in the same section of his apartment building as him. He hadn't thought about the possible drawbacks of using a fire jutsu in an apartment building, let alone the building _his_ apartment was in until he actually saw one tear through the wall in a shower of flames and wood.

He couldn't help but grimace at his thoroughly destroyed apartment. A choked and gagging coughing sound broke his slight moment of mourning.

Making his way through the dust, fire and debris he came upon the site of his former teacher whom lay bloody and beaten where his kitchen used to be. The fireball hadn't even hit him, no, a part of the ceiling had crushed him instead as he was gaping at the technique Naruto had used while a beam properly skewed him through his lower stomach.

Naruto looked impassively at the man who had helped teach him for a the past few years. "I'm disappointed in you, Mizuki-sensei," he quipped. "I figured an academy teacher like you would have at least been aware of your own surroundings."

Mizuki spat blood on his feet.

"Very mature, sensei."

Mizuki squirmed beneath the large piece of ceiling atop him, managing a sneer. "I always knew you really were the demon and this just proves it." He gave a raspy chuckle. "I'll be viewed as a hero when word on my death gets back to the Hokage," he boasted. "I can see it now, 'Hero teacher Mizuki is killed by the Kyuubi reincarnated.' They'll execute you for this!" he crowed.

"No, Mizuki, you'll only be executed for treason," said Iruka sadly from behind them, shuffling through the debris.

Naruto could hardly think of anything let alone greet the man he had to look up to as an older brother or possibly even uncle figure.

So that was it. He was the Kyuubi. He vaguely remembered being called a 'monster' and 'demon' on a few rare occasions and was quickly able to piece it together. The fact that the Kyuubi had also caused Iruka's parents death had bile rising in his throat.

"Do you hate me to, Iruka-sensei?" he found himself asking after several long moments.

Mizuki chuckled darkly, insane even. "Of course he does," he spat. "You killed his entire family!" Mizuki broke into a fit of pained laughs.

"That is a lie!" Iruka shouted gazing at Naruto with tear-filled eyes. "It's a lie, Naruto," he pressed. "In the beginning, I did, I won't lie. I found you to be nothing but a trouble-maker like I was." He chuckled, tears falling down his scarred face. "But I listened to the words of a few wise men and I came to acknowledge you as Uzumaki Naruto and not the nine-tailed demon fox that destroyed my life. No matter what anyone says, Naruto, you're a good person – _not_ the fox!"

Naruto could only bow his head as he let the tears held for years fall. He didn't know why he was crying. Was it because he held the nine-tailed fox that many believed dead? Was it because he had been lied to his whole life? Was it because he now had a reason for all the unjust treatment he received or was it because Iruka really did care about him? The thought that he'd just annihilated a chuunin-level ninja in mortal combat as well as destroyed his own home never even crossed his mind.

He didn't know and at the moment he didn't care.

Training and all badass-ness aside he allowed himself to be pulled into a grateful hug where he bawled his eyes out for the first time in years.

"I think we need to see the Hokage," said Iruka as Mizuki gave a final gasp and died where he lay, nobody mourning his loss.

He would not be recognized as the hero he had hoped.

Uzumaki Naruto would later see him as the man that helped change is life for the better cause had he not acted, who knows how he would have turned out?

**IIII**

"So the Yondaime couldn't kill the fox," Naruto bit out; he was trembling with anger. "Instead the bastard decided to stick it in my gut!" He hadn't shouted but he was very close to screaming.

"Naruto," said Sarutobi sadly, "being a Hokage means making sacrifices for the better of the village. The Yondaime knew this when he gave his very life to defeat the fox and you should know this by carrying the burden you do. His wishes that you be seen as a hero may have been for nothing but do not spit on his sacrifice for he has never once scorned you."

"Why?" he asked desperately, eyes pleading. "Why, old man? I know you know why. You have to know or else you wouldn't know as much as you do." He gave a hysterical chuckle. "The Hokage knows everything!"

Sarutobi looked sadly at the young man before him that he considered as good as his own. "Was there ever something you knew that could cost many people their lives, Naruto-kun?" he asked with a knowing grin and Naruto knew the secret was both out and safe with the old man.

"Maybe," said Naruto weakly.

Sarutobi chuckled while affectionately rubbing the top of Naruto's head; he didn't bother protesting. "This is that kind of secret. The very knowledge of anything involving you, the nine-tailed fox and the Yondaime could cause a war. I don't doubt that people will lose their lives in the near future over this exact subject."

"I don't want people to die for me!" Naruto shouted.

The third shook his head. "That is the pain that comes with being the Hokage, Naruto-kun, but that isn't what I'm talking about right now. For now though, you must get stronger, Naruto-kun; for me, the village, your _friends_ and most importantly, yourself, but do not walk the path of solidarity like those seeking power before you." The Sandaime looked very seriously at Naruto and for the first time he saw The Professor, The God of Shinobi and not jiji. "The will of fire burns brightly in you, Naruto-kun, and it is my hope that you will pass it on to those after you some day like me, the Yondaime and the many other ninjas before you."

"Nani?"

Sarutobi rubbed his chin in thought and slight frustration, deciding to go with the simple answers for the time being; passionate speech or not Naruto just wasn't getting it, it seemed. "The Kyuubi is an entity of chakra and power. People fear and respect power, but most of all, people want power."

"People want the Kyuubi?" Naruto questioned; his mind had always been sharp and he didn't miss much.

Sarutobi nodded. "You will learn more about this in due time but that is what you need to know." He smiled at Naruto. "You've made me very proud, Naruto. I still remember you as the little boy who needed help doing homework and now you are an actual ninja of this very village. You've made me so proud, Naruto."

Naruto gave an odd, hiccupping sound. "Thanks, old man. I'm going to hold you to your word about everything we talked about today! Believe it!"

Sarutobi chuckled and began fishing through his desk before finding something and tossing it to Naruto. It was a set of keys. Naruto didn't even need to ask why before Sarutobi started speaking.

"Those are the keys that belong to a house not too far from where you used to live. With your apartment having been destroyed you will need a new place of residence, yes?"

Naruto shrugged, not really having thought about it. "Why these though?"

For some odd reason the old man's eyes began twinkling. "The house is but a simple four bedroom with two bathroom, living room, kitchen and dining room but that isn't what's important. The house itself belonged to a woman whom lost her life during the Kyuubi's attack on this village: Uzumaki Kushina."

Naruto gaped at the keys in his hand. "A relative of mine?" he asked weakly.

Sarutobi smiled sadly. "I daresay she was a relative of yours. Not many people know this, Naruto, but she was actually the Yondaime's wife."

"Wow," Naruto whispered in awe, "I'm going to be living in the house that belonged to the Yondaime's wife."

"You could even say you're living in the Yondaime's house, Naruto." _The house you should have grown up in_ _along with a loving family_…

"Thanks, jiji! But… but why are you giving it to me?" he asked, biting his lip.

"It felt right," he admitted. _Because it belonged to you, Naruto_…

"Ok," said Naruto, smiling, not perturbed by his answer at all. "I'll be going now."

"Yes, yes," said Sarutobi nodding his head and smiling kindly. "Don't forget you have to get your picture taken, and Konohamaru has been asking for you too, Naruto."

"Konohamaru?"

"My grandson," said the third.

Naruto rubbed his chin in thought. "Hmm… Konohamaru, Konohamaru," he mumbled. "You mean the brat with the blue scarf and fan-club?"

Sarutobi sighed. "That would be him…"

"Alright! I have an awesome new jutsu I want to show him to put that perverted sensei of his in his place!"

_Why do I not like the sound of that_, Sarutobi thought as images of naked blond women with curves to die for covered partially with erotically placed pieces of smoke flashed before his eyes.

Naruto shook his head and turned to leave as a thin trail of blood made its way out of the Hokage's nose.

**IIII**

The black and white salamander eyed him calmly. **"I did not know you held the mightiest of all bijuus, but I suspected it, yes. You know of my ability to sense chakra and I was able to surmise that is what it was. Several times during our training did the chakra make itself present; not enough to truly worry about it but just enough for a sensor like myself to feel it."**

Naruto sighed; he wasn't mad at Dokueki as there wasn't a real way of him truly ever knowing. "I'm just blaming everyone right now," he admitted, chuckling ruefully and picking whatever belongings he had that actually managed to survive out of his house.

Dokueki chuckled. **"I see. I am quite impressed you managed to perform a fireball large enough to wipe out an entire wall, even if it was your own wall."**

"What can I say, I'm just that good…" Naruto boasted, trailing off and pulling a slightly charred scroll from beneath the rubble. He gave it a once over before a large grin began splitting his face.

"**What is it?"**

"Nothing," he teased, still smiling, if possible, even wider. "Just a scroll that idiot Mizuki-teme stole before he came to a sticky end. He just so happened to be kind enough to leave it behind."

**IIII**

**Author's Notes:**

Would Naruto really be Naruto if he didn't know how to make shadow clones? I didn't think so. Notice the 'slightly charred' part? That's for anyone out there who thinks I'm trying to give Naruto some crazy insane jutsus. The scroll was partially destroyed in the fire (it is made of paper) so he'll only have access to a bit of it. I'd tell you right now just to calm your worries but I don't want to ruin the surprise no matter how small or big it is. Its more than just shadow clones but there isn't some crazy jutsu or sword sealed in the scroll. At least I don't think the jutsus are crazy powerful.

I was sorely tempted to just have Naruto learn his heritage but I decided to wait a little while. How'd you like the part about him getting the house though, eh? Clever, huh? I thought so.

On another note, yes, Ino's eyes are green and not blue. Check the manga out and even in the anime her father's eyes are green. I think they gave her blue eyes both because blondes with blue eyes are normally bunched together and as a way to seperate her from Sakura - her 'rival'.

_Translation_:

Henge no Jutsu – Transformation Technique


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Notes:**

Thanks for all the super reviews! Some people made some good points and others gave me shit about being to cliche or not making much sense; I'll settle a few 'arguements.'

Iruka knew where Naruto was because Mizuki had stolen the scroll under a Naruto henge. The first place he checked was Naruto's home.

ANBU isn't perfect so them missing the scroll in Naruto's apartment isn't that big of a deal in my books; the invasion of Konoha is a testament too that (both invasions) as is the fact that they couldn't spot Naruto painting the Hokage monument in broad daylight or the fact that Iruka was able to find him in the woods after stealing an important scroll before the 'elite' did. Anyone else wonder how they missed out on an entire massacre of a clan? Impressive, really. For an entire platoon of expertly trained ninjas to completely not notice how a whole section of the village is being wiped out and ANBU wasn't in on the massacre so by rights they should have tried to stop Itachi if they'd gotten wind of it.

Hmm... Hanzou didn't disgrace the salamanders per say, but they see him only using Ibuse as a lack of respect for the rest of their race. How would you feel (this is towards anyone) if your parents decided your sibling was the only one allowed to drive because they were better (it ain't that hard to drive and it is kinda fun); it isn't a very hard task to complete and you too can do it fairly well and take pride in it, yet your sibling is the only one getting any recognition and praise for driving because they are the only ones allowed to even try an drive. That is how the salamanders feel, in a way.

Once more, sorry if it was too fast but I wanted to get to the bulk of the story and past the 'preliminaries.' Now the real action and ass-kicking can begin!

One final thing... Anyone else confused as shit thanks to chapter 560? I know I sure am. I've always had my theories about Madara, but this... I ain't got a fucking clue at the moment. Maybe Madara really is just a total bad-ass and we need to just let him take over the moon already.

**IIII  
><strong>**_It's Far Better to Learn  
><em>IIII**

Naruto liked to think of himself as humble yet proud, hyper yet contemplative, loud yet caring.

"Yahoo! My new house rocks!" he shouted from the balcony overlooking the streets of Konoha below him; was it just his thoughts or did Kami really bless him by placing his new home right next to Ichiraku's ramen stand?

"**Humble indeed,"** Dokueki murmured from his spot on _their_ new leather couch.

"Hey!" Naruto snapped, turning to the salamander. "Don't get any mud on my couch! I know how your kind likes to burrow underground from time to time!"

"**My kind – your new couch?"** Dokueki demanded hotly.

"Yeah!" he shouted back, leaping atop a table to gain some ground.

"**And just who taught you the fire technique that destroyed your old home, hmm?"**

Naruto flushed and took a step down. "You know, that isn't something to be proud of…"

Dokueki shrugged and burrowed himself a little into the couch. **"If the ends justify the means…"**

"I guess," Naruto murmured as he moved to the kitchen and checked the fridge; it had nothing and he would have been heartbroken… had he not just moved into the house across the way from Ichirakus! "Should I invite the others?"

"**Too big nowadays,"** said Dokueki sleepily, **"but Chicchai and his little buddies have been asking about you. I noticed that there's also a garden in the back; they can play there if you don't want them in here."**

Naruto nodded and drew a kunai before poking the salamander marking on his wrist where the eye would be, drawing the tiniest amount of blood his body would allow before healing itself just as quickly.

_I guess I have the fox to thank for that_…

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu," he said; no hand signs were needed with his marking. There was a puff, and Naruto wasn't surprised to see a small group of three chibi salamanders; they couldn't understand and converse with Naruto yet but they sure as hell knew how to cause mayhem. Naruto shook his head as they raced across kitchen tops he had yet to break in. "They remind me of Konohamaru and his gang of misfits."

Dokueki's head popped out from beneath one of the cushions. It was an odd sight as he was nearly as large as the couch itself.** "Now that is a group of idiots."**

"They're not that bad," Naruto shot back.

"**Yes they are. Did you get a look at those horrible goggles they all wear? I wonder what idiot gave them that idea," **he muttered.

Naruto cut off his retort and flushed an angry red as he fled away and went through the rest of the house. Dokueki did not need to know he had gotten the three of them the goggles as a present upon them entering the academy; he had always wanted to wear goggles but having grown up felt it would be too childish.

As he left the second bathroom that was actually smaller than the one attached to what he could only guess was the master bed room, he marvel at his new home.

Having lived in an apartment most of his life and the orphanage the rest – they'd saw fit to kick him out once the decision that he be allowed to enter the ninja academy was confirmed – he never really had much to call his own. Sure, he'd always had the clothes on his back and the stuff in his apartment, but it wasn't nearly as major as the home he currently had.

The old man had said it was his! He mentioned nothing about paying rent or anything like that! He'd even hazard a guess and say that there was some scroll with his name on it calling him owner of the land.

Sure, he now probably had to pay for his own water, electricity and heating but it was worth it and it was his choice. At his old apartment he wasn't given the option of the 'extra stuff' like hot water and a warm apartment during winter; that choice was taken away and he was graciously given water rivaling that of the lakes outside during the cold winter months.

He could have made a fuss about it to the old man, but what good would it really do? He'd complained before and the old man had actually fired the manager of a few stores who had either refused him service, or over-charged him on their goods; the stores had rehired and the replacements had done the exact same thing and the bitterness from the community had only grown. Eventually it just wasn't worth the trouble.

_At least I now know why_, he thought sadly, going through the drawers of a desk in the master bedroom he had deemed his. _Fools_, he sighed. _To think I'm the Kyuubi and not its jailer_…

In a very sad and depressing way, it made a whole lot of sense.

The civilians had always treated him colder than the ninjas did and that was too be guessed as they were just idiotic civilians who were, well, idiots who didn't understand the finer points of being a ninja; they saw the ninjas as the 'cool' people not really understanding that while they protected and served them, they were, in fact, cold-blooded killers who would snap their necks if the Hokage deemed it fitting to protect their home. The ninjas who treated him frostily were the older ones – whom he'd learned had more likely than not lost family and friends in the Kyuubi attack – and the younger ones who'd been taught that he was a monster; these select numbers weren't quite old enough to remember the Kyuubi attack itself, but were young enough not to know him by person and thus had judged him through second-hand, tainted information.

_My generation and those after me see me as a_ _person_, he thought, thinking of Chouji, Kiba, Shikamaru and even Konohamaru. _But for how long?_

Naruto shook his head as he removed his sandals, headband and plopped onto his new bed; the sheets felt smooth under his touch and he practically melted into the mattress. All this didn't help ease his mind.

Would his friends hate him for what he held when they found out? His friends came from ninja clans and he knew some of them must have lost at least someone during the Kyuubi attack. To think every clan from his class came out unharmed was absurd.

He swallowed the lump in his throat as his eyes burned with that oh-so familiar itch before turning over and putting his face in a pillow; the shaking begun moments later.

Dokueki could only watch sadly as Naruto slowly and silently cried himself to sleep.

**IIII**

"Look! Boss even has rooms for us, hey!" Konohamaru shouted.

Naruto ignored the blissful cries of Moegi and Udon. "Konohamaru," Naruto sighed, "those are extra rooms but they weren't put there for you, Moegi and Udon to move into." He was tired both emotionally and physically; he really didn't want to deal with them at the moment and was severely tempted to push them off to the side with the help of a water clone.

"But boss," he pouted, "if I'm to be your apprentice and successor then how will I grow stronger if I don't live with you?"

Naruto's eye started twitching dangerously. "I never said I was going to let you become my apprentice!"

"That's right, Konohamaru-kun," said Udon with an ever-present line of snot hanging from his nose. Naruto was forced to hold himself back, thus keeping him from literally wiping the snot off the kid; who knew how bad that snot would ruin his new carpet? "If boss is gonna train us all he couldn't possibly have just one apprentice."

Moegi squealed. "This house needs a woman's touch but I can make it work!" she said, eying the cream colored walls with distaste; she could care less about training it seemed and was more partial to moving in with Naruto. That kind of scared the freshly-minted genin, even though the thought of painting the walls a fresh color _had_ crossed his mind too.

"If you three don't leave were all going to play ninja again," said Naruto patiently and quite pleasantly. At all three of their excited looks Naruto grinned evilly, "Missing ninja."

Ninja was a game he usually played with Konohamaru, Moegi and Udon ever since meeting the young Sarutobi; it was a glorified game hide and seek. Missing ninja was ninja with Naruto playing a psychotic missing-nin who captured and tortured instead of just finding.

Naruto was positive Konohamaru would never forget the day he met the one-tailed demon cat Tora.

Konohamaru looked shakily up at Naruto. "B-boss, there's no need to be so hasty, h-hey," he said weakly.

Naruto shrugged and began twirling a kunai lazily on his finger; it only terrified the three ninjas in training more that the kunai appeared to come from nowhere. "There are so many things kunais can be used for, ya know?" he said casually. "They can be used for pealing vegetables in the field, killing, cutting up fire wood, torturing enemies for information and even using them as anchors to set up a tent or hammock… Did I mention they are also used for killing?"

"We, uh," Konohamaru swallowed and began edging towards the door, "were gonna go now, boss."

"So soon?" said Naruto, pouting. "But I just got a new shipment of explosive-tags…" He trailed in disappointment when he noticed the Konohamaru Corps had disappeared.

**IIII**

Munching on a stick of dango, Naruto looked over the charred scroll. Since the move he'd started gorging himself on ramen once more.

Dokueki liked the stuff as much as he did but Se was not a fan of anything watery and Yakedo liked cold food – oddly enough. In the early days he'd been literally forced into eating other foods, and even though he knew it was good for him, sometimes, he just couldn't help himself.

He lived right across the street from Ichirakus… Did they not understand that?

Naruto shook his head and took another bite of the dango. It was all right but it didn't even hold a candle to ramen of any kind.

Snorting, he nearly choked on a dumpling as he thought of how he actually got the dango. That crazy lady Anko had practically dragged him from his seat at Ichiraku's and forced a bag of dango into his hands in what she considered was a nice gesture.

Naruto finished the last of his dango and smoothed out the creases in the scroll and read over the few techniques it actually held, "Shadow Clone Technique – oh, I like the sound of these clones _very_ much –, Telescope Technique – sneaky old man –, Summoning: Impure World Resurrection – now that's just gross –, and the Great Clone…" he trailed off, shivering in anticipation. The day he used that last technique on an enemy was going to be a glorious day indeed.

Putting the scroll down, he ran his hands along his face and turned, "You looked over this already, didn't you?"

"**I did,"** Dokueki freely admitted. **"You're chakra control and lack of abilities as a sensor will hinder your chances at effectively using the spying jutsu, the summoning jutsu is one I'd only have you use as a very last resort as it takes life to use, the shadow clone's will rapidly help improve your training when you have more material to learn amongst other things and the last… the last will be a painful surprise to anyone trying to harm you."**

"What did you mean training with shadow clones?" Naruto asked, sitting down and crossing his legs.

"**Did you even read what it said?"** Dokueki asked Naruto in exasperation.

"Of course I did!"

Dokueki hid a grin. **"You obviously did not get the true meaning then. If you can use that technique as I truly believe you can then you will become more powerful than I could ever have imagined,"** he vowed.

"How so?" Naruto asked weakly, stunned by the salamanders choice of words.

"**Naruto,"** said Dokueki softly, **"everything the clone learns, you learn. The chakra is spread evenly amongst you and your clones so that someone trying to spot the real you amongst the fakes would not be able too under normal circumstances. Let's test this; make one clone, and then two, and then five, then ten, twenty, fifty, a hundred, two hundred and so on."**

"Ok," said Naruto without hesitation and made the single seal; he read the warnings and knew more likely than not that if anyone from his class tried the technique they'd suffer severe chakra exhaustion at the best and death at the worst. Dokueki trusted him to pass and he'd do it for both himself and the salamander before him. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

He didn't even feel it as half of his chakra was sapped away and placed into the clone. He ordered the clone to go in the bathroom and disperse itself in a random matter. When he received the memoires of the clone roughly stabbing itself in the eye with a toothbrush he knew it had worked.

Grinning at Dokueki, he made two more, then five, then ten, then twenty and finally fifty. Soon, the house was packed with clones and not only was Naruto not tired in the least but they'd need to leave to see how far he could take the technique.

Dokueki didn't dare follow Naruto to one of their mainly unused training grounds and he didn't have to as he'd long ago began to trust Naruto's judgment.

In the Forest of Death Naruto began making shadow clones. He'd eventually stopped when he was sure he was somewhere around three-thousand and couldn't possibly keep counting anymore; he was also slightly winded but due to his own knowledge of his body's limit he knew he could keep going even if slightly exhausted.

With a rough estimate of the number of clones he could make, he set out performing a few more hand seals tagged along with some quietly said words. When he was done there was another clone standing directly in front of him; it walked, talked and acted just like him.

"Go stand next to those six clones by the patch of purple moss," he ordered and was rewarded with a cheeky salute before the clone did just that.

Making a few signals with his hands, he backed away from the group of seven clones and turned around. The six shadow clones slowly surrounded the one grinning clone and each produced a kunai, and as one, they flung the kunai at the smiling clone.

Naruto tumbled slightly thanks to the force that the exploding clone let off when struck, and was vaguely aware of its demise from several different angles and perspectives due to the six shadow clones that popped being so close.

Shaking his head and grinning he made a seal and allowed thousands of clones to disperse.

His face contorted and he let out a blood-curdling scream for a split-second before the darkness gratefully engulfed him.

**IIII**

Something was licking him and he felt warm and snugly wrapped up by something…alive.

Whatever it was licked him again, hesitantly, as if testing the waters.

"Stop," he whined in a daze trying to swat at the offending creature and finding his arms pinned. "My whisker marks are sensitive," he tried to reason.

"I really didn't need to know that, gaki," said a vaguely familiar voice; it brought back memories of a ANBU member with spiky purple hair, a wicked sense of humor and a snake mask. It also brought back a rather vivid memory.

"_Eat some dango, kid! It's delicious. Yahoo!"_

"_Why are you so excited, crazy snake lady, and why are you giving away dango?"_

"_I just got a little bump up in my pay grade but that ain't nothing compared to the job satisfactory that comes with making men squeal like pigs!"_

Naruto had paled, grabbed the dango and made a run for it.

Blinking rapidly Naruto came face to face with the psycho who'd forced her beloved dango upon him. He also happened to notice a very large snake lying on his chest and licking his face!

"Eek!" Few things in life could make Uzumaki Naruto shriek like a girl; Shino's bugs was one of them, the thought of Ichiraku's Ramen closing was another and so were snakes of all kinds.

Shaking her head Anko clucked her tongue at Naruto as the snake disappeared in a poof of smoke. "Ninja are not supposed to scream like that, kid. Didn't you read the ninja handbook?"

Shivering at the slimy feeling that seemed to be burned onto him, Naruto shrugged. "Apparently the academy teachers didn't think I needed one."

Shrugging herself, Anko leapt atop a tree-branch and turned. "Whatever, kid. Just make sure if you do some training here you don't fall asleep. This is called the Forest of Death for a reason, I should know. If I were you I'd do a little research on where you rest that cute little head of yours before doing just that." She was gone a moment later, leaving Naruto to his thoughts.

It obviously made sense but that wasn't what had him thinking.

"..._**the shadow clone's will rapidly help improve your training when you have more material to learn amongst other things…"**_

"..._If I were you I'd do a little research_..."

Naruto popped his neck and began leaping from branch to branch. "I think it's time to pay a visit to the library."

**IIII**

Naruto never did like the library; it just wasn't his style.

It was boring, smelled bad and was one of the first places he had ever wanted to go only to be denied entrance due to his condition.

He'd heard all the kids talking about how their parents would read them bed-time stories and fairy tales and he wanted that; even if nobody would read them to him. He had practically changed his own diapers so he figured he'd read himself stories before he went to bed.

Too bad the library didn't think him reading or entertaining himself with a nice book was a good idea.

There were two parts to the Konoha Library; civilian and shinobi. One held books of all kinds ranging from biographies of famous ninja to children stories and the other held books on human anatomy, weapons and even jutsu scrolls ranging from the lowest of the low to A-rank assassination techniques.

As a civilian Naruto had no rights and had been banned from any part of the library, even though that wasn't actually allowed. As a genin now he had at least C-rank clearance; he could probably pull the Hokage card and strong-arm his way into every scroll that old bat at the counter had but he was a ninja now and he was only going to play that card when he really needed it.

"I thought I told you I never wanted to see you in my library again, boy," the old lady crowed. She tried to be intimidating but the only thing scary coming off of her was the smell.

Naruto adjusted his forehead protector and winked at her. "Try and deny me now and I have every right to take you in, woman. I'm a ninja and denying me – a _ninja_ – my rights is downright treasonous on your parts so I'd shut your trap right now before you staring collecting dust you old hag!"

"Why – you – why you little monster!"

Naruto felt the anger he'd long since thought he'd had a hold on start slipping; the Kyuubi was a touchy subject. "That's right," he said in a low, dangerous voice, "I am a monster just like every other ninja in this village. We both know what those masked wearing freaks liked to do to enemy nins they catch in our territory but I'm not the monster you all are making me out to be; I'm not the Kyuubi," he said. At the mention of the demon fox the woman had literally leapt back as if he'd thrown a kunai at her. "Remember that before you start judging people; now get the fuck out of my way before I personally move you!"

She moved without another word and Naruto contentedly made his way towards the ninja section of the library; the C-rank section where he knew the jutsu scrolls were.

With a smile he grabbed a few interesting ones. Genin were only allowed to take out two scrolls at a time; three for a chuunin and five for jounin. Who really knew how many ANBU was allowed to take. _Not like that cow would stop 'em if they took every scroll off the wall!_

Each scroll that ranked from E to B was actually just a copy of the original and special clearance was needed to take out an A-rank jutsu, even though the only ones allowed were ANBU and jounin level ninjas. Naruto needed no clearance as the scrolls he grabbed were basic, and if his theory was correct, he could literally have them back before the end of the day and jutsus mastered.

He liked the sound of that very much.

As he made his way back towards the Forest of Death his mind was rapidly churning. _Sensei said my affinity was likely to be one of the three: lightning, water or wind. There were no lightning jutsus but there were quite a few water and fire as well as wind and earth. I think I choose correctly for the time being._

Even though it had been proven he was partial to water techniques, and when Dokueki used his mastery of everything that was earth he looked like a little kid, he had still had to stop himself from grabbing an earth technique; he loved the damage water could cause but earth techniques really could shake things up. The same could be said for his skill with fire techniques as the power behind them always seemed to be lacking; that didn't stop him from wanting to grab a fire jutsu that looked like it could cause a fair bit of damage.

As he entered the forest, he created exactly twenty shadow clones and broke them into two groups of ten before naming one clone in each set a team leader. Each team leader was given a scroll and instructions; only the clone titled 'boss' would be allowed to touch the scroll and that was fine. Three of the clones in each party would practice the hand seals as well as molding the chakra, but not performing the actual technique for around an hour before dispersing and spreading the knowledge to the others. The other six clones would practice chakra control by climbing trees until the three before them dispersed and they gained the knowledge; after that, three of the remaining six would begin to do the same and perfect any mistakes the three before them had been making with the knowledge gained until dispersing. The final three clones would use all the knowledge gained to perfect the technique and begin trying it once ready.

The clones were really just imitations of Naruto, but they were Naruto; they all thought along the same paths and they worked like a well-oiled machine with one goal: mastering the scroll their team leader had been given.

From his spot atop a low branch, Naruto suddenly shivered; he'd been dozing but the excitement that came with learning a new technique had kept him up along with his fear of gigantic bugs in the forest. The gaining of a clone's memory was still a very unusual feeling but it wasn't as much unpleasant as it was awkward. Still, he didn't really mind it if it was done in short bursts and the info that came with it was quite welcome.

With a grin splitting his face Naruto began making his way home; the sun was setting and the two clones he'd deemed team leaders had already returned the scrolls to the library after they'd deemed their tasks complete, taking turns as to not arise any kind of suspicion. He'd also needed to talk with the leader of Team Two about ogling pretty women in the hot springs...

He didn't quite know how, but he just _felt_ like he'd mastered two new jutsus.

This was only confirmed when he was passing by one of the many rivers in the forest and trapped a rabbit scurrying across his path in a circular dome of water with a few seals – a water prison to be exact. Following that up, he made a single unique hand seal and _pushed_. He was rewarded with a powerful force of wind roaring to life behind him racing forwards and cutting down a large tree.

And there were more – oh how there was going to be more! – but he decided to rest for now. He had plenty of time to train when the sun was out and birds were chirping; he didn't want to admit it but the crazy snake lady's warning about the forest was ringing in his ears. He wasn't positive but he was sure that he'd just seen a snake larger than himself fighting an even larger centipede.

As Naruto began racing home he couldn't help but think of the possibilities shadow clones offered and shivered again; this time in both anticipation and glee.

**IIII**

**Author's Notes:**

I went into Naruto's life this chapter and tried not to make it too hard and believable; he does live alone and I figured I portrayed it as believable and not him simply being throw out in the middle of winter when he was three. Kakashi was a chuunin at the age of 6 which is just… yeah. The orphanage kicking him out when he entered the academy is pretty believable. I also don't think the Sandaime would allow people to beat on Naruto but even though people like to think since he's the Hokage and he can do no wrong, that type of thinking is wrong. As much as he loves Naruto he is the leader of an entire village and military force; he has to deal with missions ranging from assassinations to cleaning and couldn't possibly keep an eye on how Naruto is treated all of the time.

Naruto did a little crying this chapter because even though he understands hes the Kyuubi, he isn't sure if his friends will and that scares him.

For those wondering Naruto has learned the water prison technique Zabuza and Kisame both used and Great Breakthrough (the technique Orochimaru used in the Forest of Death to separate Naruto from Sasuke and Sakura).

One final thing; Naruto will be learning more techniques in the same fashion but not all of it will be on 'camera.' Some of the techniques he will learn in the same way but I won't have him training every other chapter just to satisfy curiosity.

_Translation_:

Chicchai – Little


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Notes:**

Notes, bitches!

I've been wanting someone to ask this; Dokueki is growing at a slower pace than the others because he is already past his prime. He is older than Yakedo and Se, thus making it harder for him to 'absorb' chakra, is the best way I can put it.

Team and pairing to be decided this chapter! Also, just because I'm letting the info regarding the pairing be decided this chapter does not mean Ino and Naruto will suddenly begin proclaiming their love for each-other. Someone still has a _severe_ infatuation with a brooding-emo...

Oh yeah, one more thing; kiss my ass! That's for everyone out there who thought I'd stick Naruto with Sakura and Sasuke because I lack creativity!

**IIII  
>X<br>IIII**

It was warm and sunny day outside as Naruto entered his former classroom. He'd entered it days before for the last time as a student and now he was entering it for the first as a real shinobi; only a genin, but it was a start. The blond didn't make some extravagent entrance, and nobody really caught wind of him at first; it suited him just fine.

"Hmph, hey Naruto," mumbled Chouji. "I heard your apartment blew up."

Now _that_ caught the attention of several people. The true details of what really happened were considered an S-class secret, thus Naruto wasn't allowed to tell anyone. It also didn't help that Naruto had spent the last few days training somewhat off the grid.

"Yeah," he said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head in a typical fashion. "I was practicing a fire jutsu and nearly took down the entire building."

"Troublesome…"

"Cha! What a baka!"

"Hmph, chips, hmph."

"Dobe."

"That was idiotic. Why? One should never practice inside."

"Yip!"

"You tell 'em, Akamaru!"

"N-naruto-k-kun…"

"Sasuke-kun would never do something that stupid! Right, Sasuke-kun?"

Grumbling to himself Naruto took a seat and began twirling a kunai around his finger, occasionally faking a throw in Kiba's direction.

"Will you stop that!" he finally exploded. "One of those times you're going to wind up taking out my eyes!"

Naruto smiled as he put away the kunai. "If it bothers you…"

"Damn right it bothers me," he grumbled. "You're scaring poor Akamaru to death – look, he's shivering!"

"Nah, that's just because he's afraid you might get paired with Shino and who knows what kind of bugs he has on hold," Naruto explained.

A buzzing noise began to grow steadily before abruptly stopping when the classrooms former teacher entered the room. The loss of Mizuki wasn't missed by any but the question quickly ceased once Iruka mentioned the selection of the teams. People could be so cold…

"… Team Seven will consist Haruno Sakura, Inuzuka Kiba… and Uchiha Sasuke. Your jounin sensei will be Hatake Kakashi."

Sakura's squeals, victory cries and declarations of love could be heard in Suna.

"Team Eight will consist of Aburame Shino, Akimichi Chouji and Hyuuga Hinata. Your jounin sensei will Yuuhi Kurenai."

Nobody on team eight gave an outward reaction as Naruto eyed the rest of the student's available.

"Team Nine is still in circulation so Team Ten will consist of Nara Shikamaru, Uzumaki Naruto and Yamanaka Ino. Your team's jounin sensei will be Sarutobi Asuma. Team Eleven…" Naruto tuned Iruka out as he eyed his teammates curiously.

He could have gotten worse and he could have gotten better, maybe, but not by much in either direction.

Fan girl Ino could be, but her father was a serious shinobi and Naruto knew she was proficient in her clan's techniques as was Shika; Hinata could be the strongest kunoichi with her eyes if she put her mind to it, but as it was, the title was Ino's somewhat by default.

Shikamaru moved less than the clouds he so liked to watch but he was a brilliant tactician when he wanted to be and Naruto'd be lying if he said all those pranks he pulled in his younger days were just his ideas alone; Shikamaru didn't have the taijutsu Sasuke, or even Kiba did, but his brains backed him up. Naruto had also personally seen him restrain Chouji from stealing his dinner with a shadow jutsu on several occasions barely twitching.

Naruto nodded happily as he leaned back in his chair, all anxiety about his team gone. _Team Ten will do just fine_.

**IIII**

"Now," said the third Hokage pleasantly, "I would just like to have a few words with you three."

"Must you read that here?" Kurenai snapped.

Kakashi turned a lone eye to the kunoichi. "Sorry," he mumbled, not sounding sorry at all. "Force of habit."

Kurenai gave him a frosty smile. "Just like showing up several hours late to _everything_?" she snarled.

"Now, now, hime, there's no need to be so hostile with a fellow jounin," said Asuma.

Kurenai's face reddened. "I told you not to call me that in public!" she whispered harshly.

"Ahem." The Hokage cleared his throat. "As I was saying… I expect you three to give your genin this year tough, but bearable tests." He gave Kakashi a hard look. "I think you'll be good for Sasuke, Kakashi. I don't need to warn you of what will happen if you fail him, do I?"

The ninja world was shrouded in lies and deceit, mistrust and misleading truths. Sometimes promises were made and hands were forced; sometimes it was all that kept certain people from…disappearing.

Uchiha Sasuke would become a ninja if that meant flourishing in the light with the leaves, or in the dirt with the roots; the same could be said for Uzumaki Naruto and that terrified all three jounin much more than the thought of a brainwashed Sasuke.

"Hai, Hokage-sama," Kakashi replied with an eye-smile.

"Good," he grunted before reddening slightly and turning his attention to Kurenai. "I'd originally planned on putting him with you, due to your extensive genjutsu knowledge, but I feel Sasuke needs a, err, stronger hand…"

Kurenai blinked and nodded slowly. "You believe he wouldn't take so well to being trained by a woman?"

He nodded. "Many like to think that we simply put these teams together due to rank alone, which is not entirely true. As it is, however, these teams are some of the best the academy has produced in years and fit rather well with you three especially. The powers that be were pushing a little harder than normal this year, but I feel I did a fine job in helping select this year's teams."

"I agree, Hokage-sama," said Asuma. "I would have liked to have taught the next generation of Ino-Shika-Chou but it wasn't meant to be. As it stands I think Shikamaru and Ino will work very well with Naruto."

"I must agree as well, Hokage-sama," Kurenai spoke up. "Aburame Shino, Akimichi Chouji and Hyuuga Hinata are easily the most level-headed genin this year with the most potential and I will enjoy teaching the three of them; especially Hinata," she said, smiling.

The Hokage nodded seriously. "I was under a fair amount of pressure from Hiashi to have Hinata paired with Sasuke and Kakashi, but I thought you would do a much better job bringing her out of her shell," he explained.

Kurenai nodded, a faint blush of her pale face. "You honor me, Hokage-sama. I will do my best."

The Hokage rounded on Kakashi. "And you, Kakashi," he said seriously, "I don't wanna hear anything about slacking with your team! Teach Sasuke you will, but abandon the rest of your team you will not! Not only will Sasuke eventually have the sharingan for you to help him with, but you will also lend Kiba assistance were he needs it when it comes to nin-dogs. Haruno Sakura is also said to have some of the finest chakra control in the academy; a budding medic-nin and genjutsu specialist if you ask me."

Kurenai spoke up, "If you need any assistance with your teams – the both of you – all you have to do is ask."

The Hokage smiled and reached for his pipe. "Now that is what I call teamwork."

**IIII**

Naruto thought Ino was cute and quite the impressive kunoichi when she wanted to be; her aim was nearly always perfect, she had great physical stamina if lacking in the strength department and chakra reserves area as well, she was smart, she knew exclusive techniques along with the ones gained at the academy, and he knew if she kept her fan-girl ideals to herself she'd be a damn fine kunoichi one day.

All this didn't stop him from wanting to strangle the pretty blond.

"Will you shut up already! If I hear one more word about how you _think_ Sasuke likes his dango I'm going to shove a stick of that stuff so far up your ass Sakura is going to taste it!"

"Naruto!" Ino screeched, appalled and scandalized.

"Yeah?" he growled back, teeth bared.

Ino did the smart thing and decided to keep quiet till their sensei arrived: Sarutobi Asuma.

In his younger days, Naruto had just figured the old man's family had all died in the Kyuubi attack; his wife had, as well as a few of the Sarutobi clan, but most of it remained unscathed and healthy.

This point was driven home when Naruto had first met Konohamaru.

_If I ever met a brat in my life that wasn't me_…

Konohamaru had his good points; dedication to get better and prove his worth to both Konoha and the Sarutobi name, but he also had his bad points like everyone did. For instance, the boy could barely perform any jutsu and yet he was already a pervert on top of being ridiculously annoying – Naruto prided himself on being stealthy and having the ability to evade capture, Konohamaru was not stealthy, _especially_ if he thought that a blanket of similar color to his surroundings was a ninja tool to be used frequently. Naruto also knew what those orange books were and he'd actually seen the little guy reading them around town! He'd definitely be changing his sheets if he ever let the young Sarutobi spend the night at his new place.

Naruto wasn't positive but he'd bet his ramen money on it that the little pervert's sensei being the one who got him hooked on that book; Naruto had seen that prick Ebisu giggling like a school girl around town with an orange book in hand. The same could be said for the old man and Cyclops but he was the Hokage and Naruto respected him as that, pervert or not, and Cyclops happened to be a jounin even if his hairstyle was completely ridiculous.

_At least Cyclops' hair doesn't look like a duck's ass…_

He only hoped Asuma-sensei had his priorities in check.

Too deep in thought – much too deep for a ninja – Naruto and the rest of Team Ten never noticed the three hulking figures standing behind them until it was too late and they had each received a viscous chop to the back of the neck, rendering them unconscious without the chance to warn each other.

**IIII**

"Gah," Naruto groaned as he finally awoke, only to find himself along with Shikamaru and Ino tied to thick, wooden posts.

"I'd fail you all right now but I feel you have a little potential and deserve a second chance," a deep voice spoke from a few yards in front of them.

Naruto didn't know why, as the old man was much older than his new sensei, but he couldn't squash the urge to compare the two of them and search for similarities.

Sarutobi Asuma was big, to say the least, with tanned skin, dark hair and brown eyes. He wore the standard jounin outfit consisting of a green flak jacket, long-sleeved shirt beneath it to go with blue pants along with the normal tape and sandals; the only thing 'original' about him was the sash around his waist, his trench-knives and the cigarette in his mouth.

"You don't look like the old man," Naruto grumbled, shifting in his binds; he was flexible and given a few more moments he'd be as free as a bird.

Asuma grunted as if offended by his words. "Hokage-sama happens to be an old man now a days. I'm glad to say I still look youthful and healthy. Now, why don't you all tell me a little bit about yourselves? Dreams, hobbies, likes, dislikes… Hell, I'll even go first! My name is Sarutobi Asuma, I'm a jounin of Konoha and your sensei, I like playing shogi, spending time with my nephew and a select other few. I dislike people who discriminate against others, whatever that reason may be and my dreams… you don't need to know that right now. You next blondie."

"Which one," Shikamaru muttered with a small grin.

"I'll go first! My name is Uzumaki Naruto! I like ramen of all kinds, training and my friends. I dislike people who can't let go of their hatred and blame others for something they had no part in. My hobbies are training and testing ramen at Ichirakus and my dream is to become the Hokage one day!"

"Alright," said Asuma. "Blondie-2."

Ino glared. "My name is Yamanaka Ino. I like gardening, shopping and Sasuke-kun. My hobbies include working at my family's flower shop and trying on new outfits that look cute. I dislike people who interfere with both my likes, and hobbies. My dream for the future is to snag a certain someone someday," she finished with a small blush.

"And you, Shikamaru."

"My name is Nara Shikamaru. I like hanging out with my friends and watching the clouds. My hobbies include playing shogi against people who actually know how to play the game and cloud-gazing. I dislike it when people wake me from a nap or block my view when I'm cloud-gazing. My dream is to live long enough to have an average family." Shikamaru sighed and looked at their sensei. "Are you going to untie us now?"

"Nope," he said cheerfully in his deep voice, "here's what I am going to do though." He moved forwards and undid Naruto's ropes that had been holding him to his stump before the blond could remove himself. "I'm going to give Naruto here a bell since he ranked higher than the both of you."

"What are you playing at?" Naruto asked as he rubbed his sore arms with narrowed eyes; nothing came easy to a ninja and he wasn't going to start believing in a higher power the day of his Genin Exam.

Their sensei's smile turned hard. "I have two bells here." He tossed them _both_ to Naruto. "One of them is yours and the other is for the person of your choosing – Shikamaru or Ino, not both. Give one of them a bell and be done with it – send the other back to the academy."

"What?" Naruto yelped.

Their sensei nodded seriously. "Being a ninja is hard work and it sure as hell ain't a walk in the park, kid. The papers say you're stronger than your two teammates so I gave you a bell; you should be proud!" He glared at Naruto as a bit of killing intent leaked out. "Now pick your teammate and crush the other's dream!"

Shikamaru grunted. "Troublesome. Feel free to give it to Ino, Naruto. I won't hold it against you as I only did this cause my dad wanted me to."

"Give me the bell, _Naruto-kun_," Ino purred from her binds and tried to come off as seductive as possible. "I'll do _anything_ you want…"

Naruto felt heat rushing to his face at Ino's words. She was very pretty and he'd be damned if that wasn't the hottest thing he'd heard in his life, but he wasn't about to give her a bell just so he could have his way with her – and what about Shikamaru? He was practically his best friend side for Chouji and Kiba; he couldn't do that to him – wouldn't.

"I can't," he whispered, shaking his head sadly and turning to Asuma. "I can't pick."

"What?" Ino shrieked. "Give me the damn bell, Naruto! Shikamaru told you to and so did I. Give. It. To. Me!" Naruto chose to ignore the possible double meanings of her words.

"Just give the harpy the bell already, Naruto. I knew being a ninja was going to be troublesome and if this is how our sensei acts I'd rather not be on this team anyway."

Naruto glared at his sensei, ignoring their words. "I won't pick!" he said defiantly.

"Tough!" Asuma barked. "Pick, or none of you join Team Ten," he growled. "In the field there are going to be times where you have to decide what's more important – the life of a teammate or completing the objective and right now you have to choose, kid." In a flash two kunai were imbedded above both Ino's and Shikamaru's heads, barely missing them by inches. "Now I'm going to kill the one you don't pic; nice going, kid."

Naruto really felt like crying. "You can't do that!"

"I can't? Last time I checked I was a jounin and you three were fresh out of the academy rookies. I'm sure given the choice the Hokage would rather have me around then three snot-nosed brats. Pick!" he bellowed.

"Fine!" Naruto shouted, throwing a bell at Shikamaru and a bell at Ino. "I'd rather die than pick which one of my friends' life I had to end! Go on then, kill me!"

Naruto seriously thought his life was going to end and this was only enhanced when a kunai went racing past his face, barely nicking him but drawing a steady flow of blood down his face.

"Naruto!" Ino and Shikamaru fought hard against their bonds but it was no good; Naruto was quite alone and helpless against a seasoned jounin.

"You think you're brave, kid? What do you know about dying, huh? Nothing!" Asuma shouted down at him.

Naruto held his chin high as blood flowed freely from his wound. "You're wrong!" he shouted as memories of Mizuki dying right in his apartment flashed before his eyes as well as another blond facing down an immortal beast with nine, flowing tails hell-bent on destroying his home. "I know a lot about dying, and I know that I'd rather die than choose which one of my friends' parents I have to look in the eye and tell them I helped kill their kid! I don't have anyone so go ahead and kill me like the coward you are!"

The jounin nodded grimly and raised his hand, "Welcome to Team Ten, kid," said Asuma; the look of fury as well as the killing intent was gone and a proud smile was in its place. Asuma clapped Naruto roughly on the shoulder, grinning at him.

Shikamaru sighed loudly and shook his head before letting it fall back against the wood he was tied to.

Ino shrieked obscenities at their sensei for a few moments before realizing not only that he had just passed them, but what he had threatened to do to them beforehand; she quieted rather quickly.

Naruto made a few choking sounds before fainting, and it wasn't from blood loss.

"Sorry if I came off a bit psychotic but Kakashi is doing the same thing, kind of," Asuma grumbled, running a hand through his hair as he looked down at Naruto's prone form.

"Are you going to untie us now, sensei?" Ino asked breathlessly.

"Nah," he admitted. "Naruto is the only one who passed, technically," he grinned. "The two of yous test will be to get out of those ropes before sunset by any means possible. Feel free to clue Naruto in and bring him home if he's still passed out," he added as an afterthought before vanishing.

Shikamaru grunted. "I should have just been a herder for my clan," he mumbled.

"How are we going to get out of here?" Ino asked, struggling against her ropes but not too much; she couldn't have bruises and sores on her fine figure now could she? Somebody would eventually come for them and it wasn't all bad; being tied to a stump was finally giving her the chance to work on that than she so desired.

"As much as I hate listening to you scream it seems to be the only way," he muttered.

"What was that?" Ino snapped at him.

"I said," he said in a louder voice, "you're going to need to wake Naruto up! Go ahead and scream at him," said Shikamaru.

"Scream at him?" she repeated before giving a little shrug. "I can do that… **Naruto!"**

"Amazing," Shikamaru muttered in awed and tones. "It only took one and he's already beginning to stir. Give him another," said Shikamaru, wishing he could plug his ears.

"Can do; **Naruto!"**

"Drop the ramen!" he shouted as he leapt to his feet, a kunai in hand.

Shikamaru shook his head, smirking. "No ramen, Naruto, now free us."

Naruto shook his head to clear out the cobwebs. "What's going on? Where's psycho?"

The Nara sighed. "Sensei passed us thanks to your heroism and self-sacrifce, now untie us or we all fail – you only have thirty seconds."

Ino and Shikamaru were free in fifteen.

"I can't believe we have a lunatic for a sensei," said Naruto, shaking his head as they left the clearing.

"Naruto," said Shikamaru patiently for what seemed like the hundredth time, "Asuma-sensei was acting to see if we had what it took to become a team."

"But why?" he implored.

"To see if you'd abandon your comrades to only better yourself, to see if you would choose the easy path, to see if you had what it took to be ninja of the Leaf and you did," said a rumbly voice from above them; sitting on a branch that looked much too small for a man of his size was the leader of Team Ten.

Naruto drew a kunai.

"Put that away, Naruto," said Asuma, chuckling. Grumbling, Naruto did just that. "Team Eight and Seven also passed their tests so were going to celebrate with a trip to a local barbeque spot some of us frequent; all three of you are free to come – it's on us."

Naruto sniffed. "Barbeque doesn't compare to ramen, I think I'll pass."

Shikamaru looked to the skies silently, as if asking for an answer. "Just come, Naruto. Everyone is going to be there."

The orange lover squinted at the Nara before raking an appreciative eye over the blond Yamanaka who was quickly trying to clean herself up with a small mirror she'd produced from nowhere.

"I think I can make some room in my schedule."

**IIII**

It was interesting observing people, Naruto surmised.

The jounin that had come with the group had paid for their meal, but they had almost immediately made their way to their own table once the prices were covered, leaving the newly minted genin to mingle with themselves. Three genin Naruto also didn't recognize were there as well; a cute brunette with her hair in two buns atop her head, a Hyuuga and a kid with a bowl-cut and some bushy-brows.

As it was, Copy-nin Hatake Kakashi, The Genjutsu Mistress of Konoha Yuuhi Kurenai, The Green Beast of Konoha Might Guy, Sarutobi Asuma – his sensei – son of the third Hokage and former member of the twelve guardian ninja, his former sensei Umino Iruka, and Mitarashi Anko whom he had personally knew as the Crazy Snake Lady and had heard called 'The Snake Whore of Konoha,' on a previous occasion, sat together, drinking and laughing.

Naruto sighed and took a sip of the high-end sake he had ordered as payback for being nicked with a kunai; it wasn't as good as Dokueki had said but it wasn't that bad either and he sure as hell didn't feel any hairs growing on his chest merely from drinking it.

"Keep em away from my barbeque!" Chouji shouted, flinging his arms protectively around his large stack of meat he had grilled himself with practiced ease.

"My kikai bugs survive on chakra alone, Chouji, they will not eat your barbequed meat," said Shino simply, his voice monotone.

"Better not," Chouji growled.

Naruto watched as Hinata surveyed her teammates with a tender and caring look, no doubt hoping to avoid conflict and keep the peace. Watching Hinata, it was hard not to notice the way the 'other' Hyuuga whom he'd learned was named Neji kept glaring at her as though she'd poked him in his pupil-less eye. And watching him, well, it was pretty obvious which one of their teammates Tenten wanted to find a secluded spot with; the same could be said for the love triangle consisting of Sasuke, Sakura and Ino.

Naruto knew Sasuke held no feelings for Ino and Sakura – well, he sure as hell hoped the emo-bastard didn't – but the way he had a smug little smirk on his face due to the attention he was being given made Naruto want to test his fireball jutsu against Sasukes right then and there.

Naruto would have been content just eating, chatting and glaring at Sasuke in between bites of food. Too bad Rock Lee had other ideas.

"Yosh!" he cried, startling several people in the restaurant. "You two are freshly-minted genins, yes?"

"Yeah," Naruto grunted; it was about that time to refill his saucer.

"Quite impressive, Naruto-san, Shikamaru-san! Say there! May I have some of that youthful beverage you are drinking, Naruto-san?"

"_Yosh! It brings tears to my eyes seeing such young and promising ninjas like yourselves," Gai had said. "Make sure you don't have any sake, Lee!"_

"_Of course, Gai-sensei!"_

"_Lee!"_

"_Gai-sensei!"_

"_Lee!"_

"Sure. What's the worst that could happen?"

Konoha hadn't suffered the amount of damage a drunk Rock Lee caused since the Kyuubi made its presence known over a decade ago.

**IIII**

"**So the Nara and the Yamanaka are your teammates?"**

"Yup," said Naruto, grinning. "Pretty good, to be honest. Ino was the best kunoichi I could possibly as for," _not to mention prettiest_, "and Shikamaru was probably the smartest."

"**Don't forget laziest,"** Dokueki replied.

Naruto shrugged and yawned. "Sasuke is about as friendly as a platoon of Rock-nins I just spat on and Shino gives me the creeps in more ways than one. Kiba would have been good enough and so would Chou but Shika will do just fine."

"**I guess,"** Dokueki grumbled and curled himself up at the foot of Naruto's bed.

"Hey!" Naruto barked, spotting a stain; the color was faded as if it had been scrubbed but there was still a wet spot.

Dokueki looked at Naruto the stain, bored before turning his lazy gaze at Naruto. **"Wasn't me. I believe you have Konohamaru to thank for that."** Naruto paled dramatically. **"I saw him in here earlier with an orange colored –"**

"–Nooooo!–"

"–**popsicle. Gross – I know right? He dropped it right on your bed, and you know what the gross little bugger did? He picked it up like it was nothing and kept eating it! Even I have standards, and I've been known to feast on the insides of my enemies! Why in my day – Naruto, why are you crying?"**

"M'not cryin'," he mumbled. "Just somethin' in my eye s'all."

**IIII**

**Author's Notes:**

Ever since reading 'Patriot's Dawn' I've realized how much better it would have been for Asuma to have been Naruto's sensei. There was just so much more for him to learn from him then there was Kakashi. Kakashi was always busy with Sasuke due to extenuating circumstances – cough, cursed seal, sharingan, brooding emo, cough – while Asuma did his best to spread around the wealth. It also doesn't hurt that Asuma held an affinity to wind like Naruto.

I get the whole, "You're my sensei's son and I must train you to right the wrongs of my past, and you as well Sasuke! For Obito, Rin and Minato-sensei!" But he didn't really teach Naruto shit. Sure he helped him with his affinity but did he teach him the Rasengan? Nah, he taught him how to climb trees and dumped him off with Ebisu to learn water-walking.

Unless Kakashi teaches him the Hiraishin somewhere down the line – which I _**highly**_ doubt – I'm going to stick to my guns of anyone being a better instructor then the copy-nin. I don't doubt his skills in general cause he is bad-ass, just his teaching skills; its funny and all that, him being a lazy bastard who likes to show up late, but when you take a serious look at it he really is a horrible sensei to both Sakura and Naruto; Sakura I can understand as a civilian has as much potential as her, but Naruto? C'mon, man…

With all the being said, I think these teams are rather balanced and work out well.

Sorry about the 'grandson' and 'nephew' thing; I fixed it! And Anko being the 'Snake Whore of Konoha' is unique to this story!

Happy Halloween, too.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Notes:**

Just going to give a little warning: the chapters might be coming a little slower nowadays due to MW3 being released tomorrow =)! I probably would be going to the midnight release at my GameStop, but I'd rather not freeze…Still, it's up in the air, I may risk it for the biscuit.

Also, people were getting a little bent out of shape due to the whole 'Snake Whore' thing, but it was just meant to be a joke, sort of like calling Sasuke a bastard of Jiraiya a pervert. No hard feelings. People are going to find something this chapter _really_ annoying, I bet. Even though its just 'for show.'

The Hiraishin thing is weird, too. With 562 it seems others were able to do it, so I'm guessing Kakashi may actually know it, if Genma does at least, which is really weird, even if they need each other to do it. It sort of makes the Hiraishin lose some luster in my books; I was hoping only Minato and Naruto would ever know it (if he does learn it). With some bum like Genma knowing it… I confess myself disappointed.

**IIII  
><strong>_**Outnumbered**_**  
>IIII<strong>

D-rank missions were almost always meant to be something easily handled by a genin squad that took place in the village; things like cleaning and organizing, gardening and landscaping and sometimes even shopping and cooking for the elderly along with many other mundane tasks suited for the average civilians, not ninja per say.

Naruto was easily starting to hate D-rank missions with a fierce passion like the many genin squads before his time.

They were boring, tedious, boring, time consuming, boring, mundane, didn't give him the chance to show off some of his skills and last but not least, boring.

Team Ten had been doing D-rank missions for a little over three weeks and he was starting to wonder if joining Shikamaru in herding deer was such a bad idea after all; the deer might at least put up a better fight then dogs they recently had to walk for Kiba's mother Tsume. Naruto wasn't positive but he was pretty sure the feral woman had been hiring them just so she could flirt with their sensei; he didn't voice this opinion cause the women downright terrified him.

It wasn't all bad though – mostly, yes, but not all bad – as he, Shikamaru, Ino and Asuma-sensei would normally go through some sparring and basic training to keep their skills sharp from eight in the morning, to, at the very latest, noon; chakra control wasn't exactly the type of training that ignited Naruto's fires of youth, but it was to be expected and his massive reserves were still a bit out of his grasp so the extra training was actually quite welcome. The money he was piling up due to the missions was also a welcome addition to the stipend he received every week.

After that it was whatever the old man had to offer them that he saw fitting.

_Old bastard_, Naruto thought.

Their first mission they had actually _failed,_ as the old lady they were set to help completely refused to allow Naruto to touch her groceries. That had set off Asuma-sensei as he knew of Naruto's burden.

Though extremely embarrassed, Naruto had grinned widely as the jounin tore into the old lady about wasting their time as ninjas of the Leaf.

Ino and Shikamaru were obviously curios but he'd just played it off and said he'd swapped her bottled-water with vinegar once upon a time (it wasn't true but he had done it before to a vendor who spat in a cup and tried to charge him the same price for it as he did fresh water); Ino accepted it without second thought as – as much as he hated to admit it – she didn't really care, but Shikamaru was curious, he could tell from the look in the lazy bum's eyes.

Naruto yawned through his hand as he jogged towards training ground ten for their morning sessions; memories of the previous day floated around his head like a whispering halo that didn't want to leave him be.

"_You'll probably need to tell them soon, Naruto. I know, I know," he said, seeing the look of pain flash across Naruto's face. "You don't want to lose what you have, but isn't it better to come right out with it? We are ninja, yes, but trust amongst comrades is the foundation of the Leaf. Would you rather have Shikamaru find out by accident, or when he gains the proper clearance? Did you ever think of the betrayal he may feel when it comes to the surface and you weren't the one to tell him, hmm?" Asuma asked sternly; the cigarette was gone and a look of seriousness was clear on his face._

_Naruto swallowed. "Shika, Kiba and Chou are my best friends and as much they – us, for that matter – seem like slackers, they're smart. They can tell the difference between the jailer and the prisoner," he said bitterly. Naruto swallowed the lump in his throat. "It's –"_

"_I know, kid. You don't have to say it. If you told one, you'd have to tell 'em all and you don't wanna be the cause of a rift between anyone, let alone yourself." Naruto nodded solemnly. "I'm not saying tell them today, but do it before the Chuunin Exams in a few months; even if only our team and your closest friends." Asuma gave Naruto a smile that immediately had Naruto wary. "I also think you don't give Ino enough credit, Naruto."_

_Naruto reddened, spluttered and ran away as fast as his legs could carry him._

As his thoughts drifted towards the blond his stomach clenched unpleasantly like it usually did when around her. Sometimes his heart would flutter, especially when she had a compliment for him; it wasn't much and she probably saw nothing of it, but for someone like Naruto it was like receiving a gift for passing an exam. Other times he felt like little splinters were forming in his chest when she moaned about how close Sakura and Sasuke were getting, if they were to believe everything the pink-haired girl was saying, that is, which Naruto didn't but did nothing to make Ino believe that either; the more she thought Sasuke was madly in love with Sakura the better.

Naruto briefly thought about summoning Dokueki and the gang for some man to man advice about women. Surely there were some pointers they could give him, right?

Taking deep breaths Naruto shook his head as he came to a stop at training ground ten.

He wasn't alone.

A certain blond happened to be there as well; stretching.

_Aww man_…

Naruto let out an audible groan as the sole Yamanaka on Team Ten bent forwards and touched the tips of her purple-coated toe-nails with her slender fingers; she really was flexible and the thin, shiny coat of sweat that coated her body –

"Hey, Naruto," said Ino as she straightened herself out.

_Oh yeah, I forgot she was a Sensor in the making_…

"Hey, Ino," he mumbled as he too started stretching his limbs out. He was actually the most flexible member of Team Ten and regularly battled Ino in who was the more flexible ninja competitions; he didn't mind at all as the view was spectacular. "Lazy and Smoky aren't here yet I see."

"Nope," she said, stifling a giggle behind her hand, "although I wouldn't be surprised if Asuma-sensei appeared out of nowhere any moment now."

"Surprise can be a valuable and life-saving asset for a ninja," said Asuma as he appeared in a shower of smoke, wind and leaves.

"When are you going to teach us that, sensei?" Ino asked.

Asuma spared Naruto a small wink before chuckling and turning his attention back to Ino. "Why don't you ask Naruto? He's already mastered the shunshin."

Ino's narrowed eyes immediately turned on Naruto, her hand son her hips. "Well?"

"I mastered most of the basic techniques before we even graduated the academy, if you must know," he admitted, smiling sheepishly.

"Impressive," Asuma admitted, the slight widening of the eyes the only sign he was surprised by Naruto's words.

A yawn broke through the stunned silence. "Troublesome," Shikamaru muttered. "Let's get this over with; the sooner were done the sooner I can return to my cloud gazing."

"As you wish," said Asuma pleasantly. "Since you've all been working very hard I've decided to reward you all before we begin our missions for the day."

"Rewards?" Naruto prodded eagerly.

"Rewards," Asuma repeated, tossing away a cigarette and pulling out three slips of paper. "These are called Chakra Paper –"

"I've heard of those!" Naruto burst out. Dokueki had wanted to test his affinity but the few shops that actually sold them had said he didn't have the proper clearance, having not been that of genin status. There was no doubt in Naruto's mind had Sasuke tried he'd of got the papers for free and a few jutsu scrolls to go along with whatever affinity it turned out the bastard had.

"Good," Asuma rumbled. "These will test your elemental affinities. Working with your specific element takes years to fully master and I doubt we'll be working much on the subject till you're at least chuunin level, but it doesn't hurt to know what your element is now and I'll have a scroll for each of you after the test."

"Really?" Ino squealed.

Wincing at her tone, Asuma nodded. "Here," he said, handing them each a piece. "Channel a bit of chakra and wait for the results; if it turns to ash then that means your element is fire, lightning will crinkle the paper, water will soak it, earth will cause it to crumble and wind will split it in two."

Each genin took a piece and channeled their respective chakra.

Shikamaru's paper turned to ash while Ino's seemed to momentarily harden before crumbling which was all well and good; normal, one could say.

Uzumaki Naruto was not normal.

"Hey, sensei, check it out! It sliced in half _and_ one of the halves is wet!"

"Why do I have a feeling this is going to be troublesome?" Shikamaru muttered to himself.

"Sensei," Ino whined, "how come Naruto has two affinities?"

"Well," Asuma explained, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, "when a ninja uses a particular nature enough they develop a sort of…kinship, you could call it. It will never be as strong as said persons main affinity – which can be seen as only one piece of the paper is actually wet – but it will be easier for them to use then it would be one they haven't gained familiarity with, but they will also gain the weaknesses along with it."

"Weakness?" Naruto pouted.

Asuma sighed. "Looks like I have some explaining to do…"

"So essentially I can trump Naruto's wind with my fire while his water would likely put my fire out; Ino on the other hand takes care of that, however she loses to the lightning that Naruto – and you, sensei – would normally overcome with wind," Shikamaru repeated.

"Essentially," Asuma allowed, "but if you think you have the fight in the bag just because your personal affinity is greater than your opponents you're in for a nasty shock. There is more to it than the bare essentials," he lectured. "We are barely scratching the surface as it is and have yet to even begin discussing the nature of collaboration techniques."

"Alright already," Naruto snapped; he was practically trembling in anticipation at just hearing how badass his techniques were going to be. "Teach us some jutsus, sensei!"

"Very well, Naruto," said Asuma, digging in his flak-jacket and pulling out a small scroll. Without waiting to give an explanation he bite his thumb and dragged his blood-coated finger along the scroll; five puffs of smoke signaling whatever he was doing worked. Putting two of the scrolls back in his bag he handed each genin a scroll. "Work on this in your own time because right now we have missions to do!"

Groaning, Team Ten followed their sensei towards the Hokage tower.

None noticed when Naruto slowed his pace so that he was behind them and made a single seal, nor did they notice the half-dozen clones take the scroll and run off with it into the forest.

**IIII**

Naruto liked gardening. He supposed he picked up the habit hoping it would one day help Ino fall in love with him, as ridiculous as it actually sounded.

Over time his interest in gardening changed from a desire to be acknowledged by his favorite shop-keeper to an actual desire to simply garden. It was comforting, and even if he never had the chance to have a proper garden in his former apartment like he did with his new home, having plants to take care of was almost like having friends when he didn't actually have the latter to count on; having plants depend on him to feed and nurture them had given him a sense of fulfillment.

'Gardening' in the Forest of Death with Team Ten wasn't the same as caring for the few plants he used to have by his bedroom window.

For one, his plants weren't dangerous by any means nor were they very helpful in the shinobi fields like the plants they were currently harvesting for Konoha General. They also were actual plants, not fungi, herbs and everything else sprouting from the earth.

He also didn't have Ino scolding him.

"That's not right!" she snapped, slapping his hand away and deftly plucking a flower with a green stem and yellow top before tossing it into her cache. "You must pluck these using your thumb and fore-finger, Naruto," she scolded. He brushed away the 'praise' and moved on to another plant… "No! Use your kunai to cut that one off at the base of the stem so you don't get any excess grass in the bag!"

"Grr…"

"Leave him be, Ino," said Shikamaru from his spot atop a branch he was laying on; he had long since given up doing his share and started resting early.

The smell of smoke alerted them to Asuma's presence. "I should scold you, Shikamaru, but I just can't bring myself to take this too seriously myself," he admitted.

Grunting, Shikamaru nodded before closing his eyes.

"Glad to know half of Team Ten cares if we complete our – Naruto! Get back over here!"

"What?" he asked innocently from the branch adjacent to Shikamaru. Asuma nodded approvingly as he closed his eyes and lent against a large tree.

"You all suck," Ino muttered as she went back to gathering more items throughout the forest.

Naruto was about to respond when he suddenly shivered. Nobody noticed the movement nor the shit-eating grin he now sported as he leaned back in content

**IIII**

Naruto had been in the Forest of Death hundreds of times and was used the different animals and creatures that frequented it. Hell, he'd eaten his fair share of them!

As it was, he knew what to expect when he entered the forest and was always on guard as was Asuma-sensei and Shikamaru who had picked up on both their movements; he was smart like that and had several kunai readily available.

Ino was smart but she didn't happen to pick up on the little things as well as Shikamaru did. She thought they were just going into a forest to pick some herbs and such for the hospital. All she had on her person that was quickly useable was more likely than not a few kunai.

This was why when Naruto heard a scream he was already moving towards its location with a kunai ready.

The Forest of Death was the home to many monstrous creatures ranging from spiders the size of bears and bears the size of small houses; Naruto could only push himself harder and silently hope that Ino was merely freaked by a large than normal insect.

His hope was crushed when he noticed several tigers much too larger prowling around the Yamanaka; he was vaguely aware the their sensei was behind him, leaning calmly against a tree and Shikamaru was still trying to reach them in time.

Naruto wanted very badly to snap at his sensei but could not seem to take his eyes of his surrounded team member. He also couldn't help but feel a bit of pride enter him as he noticed the defiant look on Ino's face as she palmed two kunais and readied herself. The dread came back full-force when he thought of Ino's odds against six very large and very hungry tigers.

He wasted no time in flinging a kunai at the tiger closest to Ino and had to bite back a groan when the kunai was swatted away by one of the other tigers; it seemed he'd caught their attention as Ino quickly dashed out of their make-shift circle.

"What are we going to do?" she demanded of Naruto in a hurried whisper.

Naruto turned to glare at their sensei who smirked back and pulled a pack of cigarettes from one of his many pockets. "Shikamaru should be here any moment…now."

"Who'd of thought a D-rank mission could be so troublesome," he muttered as he caught his breath.

Ino snorted. "I repeat – what the _fuck_ are we going to do!"

Naruto looked over his two team-mates as the tigers continued to eye them up and down. "Shika, how many of them can you hold?"

"Probably all of them for a short period of time," he concluded before sighing, "but my range isn't that good and they are too far apart for me to get the all in one go."

"How about you, Ino?" Naruto asked.

She bit her lip and shrugged. "The mind transfer would only work on one of them as will the only other technique I know."

Naruto nodded and got himself ready. "Alright," he said confidently. "Ino, I want you to make one of the tigers attack the others." At her surprised look he nodded seriously before turning to Shikamaru. "When they get close enough to each other I want you to grab as many of them as you can and hold on."

"Got it," he said without hesitation.

"What are you going to do, huh?" Ino demanded.

"I'm going to kill them all," he said seriously.

Ino swallowed a retort before shrugging and turning her attention back to the tigers. She knew which one of those furry bastards she was going to make turn on his buddies; the one that had made her get mud on her shirt!

Ino made a unique hand seal as she glared at the lead tiger, "Shinranshin no Jutsu!" She flinched a little as the technique took hold but it did its job; in short order the tiger was clawing wildly at the others and they were forced to converge upon him to put him down, leader or not.

They never saw Shikamaru's jutsu coming. "Kagemane no Jutsu!" Shikamaru trembled slightly but stood tall as the tigers froze without a second thought.

Naruto was not one to waste a golden opportunity and as much as he didn't enjoy killing, the tigers needed to die then and there. Not only as future threats but for the trouble they had caused his team and a precious person to him; the damn tigers had nearly eaten Ino!

He made the hand seal without hesitation, clasping hands together tightly and _feeling_ the wind behind him. He knew the technique wasn't going to be as powerful as it would be for a master of the wind element like his sensei, but he hoped it'd put the tigers down cleanly and with as little pain as possible.

"Fuuton: Repuu Shou!"

The C-rank wind technique came screaming over Naruto's shoulders with the amount of force that would put many tornados to shame, tearing down trees and uplifting bits and pieces of everything in its path. Where Great Breakthrough separated and pushed, Gale Palm tore and shredded.

The poor tigers never stood a chance.

**IIII**

"Good work today," said Asuma-sensei as the group left the Forest of Death. Technically they had passed their mission due to the bag full of herbs Shikamaru had collected – both Ino's and Naruto's had been lost – but the one paying them hadn't been too happy.

"Good work?" Ino repeated snidely. "I was almost eaten on a D-rank mission!"

Asuma nodded. "True, but your team-mates came to your rescue and together the three of you were able to formulate an impressive plan and defeat your enemies." Ino shot their sense a filthy look but did look quite pleased with herself. "I was wondering," Asuma murmured, "how did you manage to learn the technique I'd given you only hours before?"

Naruto looked around nervously before swallowing. "I had help."

Asuma shook his head at him. "Secrets and lies are the ninja way but I thought you'd at least trust us enough to tell us how you learned a technique in one day's time," said Asuma sadly. "Sometimes, Naruto, it is better to just come out with the truth on the little things as the ideas that some people have running through their heads can wind up hurting you more than the actual truth will. Sometimes the truth really will set you free."

Naruto looked from Shikamaru's lazy but perceptive face to Ino's stern and expectant one. "When Mizuki attacked me," he didn't even bother stopping at Ino's gasp, "he'd apparently been doing it as a last resort before leaving the village."

"Why did he attack you?" Ino questioned.

Naruto swallowed. "That… that is for another time," he said slowly, "but the reason he was leaving the village is because he stole a forbidden scroll from the Hokage."

Asuma suddenly let out a rumbly chuckle. "Spoils of war, eh Naruto?"

Naruto grinned and shrugged. "Finders keepers."

"What's going on?" Ino demanded.

Shikamaru stuffed his hands in his pockets and snorted. "I thought you were the smart one in our group, Ino?" Said insulted blond shot the Nara a dangerous look. "Troublesome," he muttered. "Naruto obviously got his hands on the scroll that Mizuki stole and learned whatever techniques it had on it. Isn't that right, Naruto?"

"Pretty much," he admitted. "Most of the scroll was damaged but I learned a few cool jutsus! This is one of them – Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Ino and Shikamaru were both impressed when the doze clones appeared behind Naruto but it was their sensei that had gasped and paled.

"Naruto! What are you doing?" he exclaimed, horrified.

"Making a few shadow clones?"

"A few?" he growled.

"Yeah," Naruto shrugged. "I can make anywhere from one to a couple thousand.

"A thousand," Asuma mumbled weakly.

"Mhm. Apparently you-know-who is good for something cause I know I should be dead right now if I tried making these without his help. I always knew having a shit-load of chakra would come in handy one day."

"I think I'm the one missing something now," Shikamaru mumbled. "Why are these clones so special?"

Asuma-sensei didn't appear to be in the shape to answer so Naruto did. "These clones take a ridiculous amount of chakra and most jounin – even the Hokage – can't make as many as I can. They're special cause their actually solid and my chakra is spread evenly throughout them. Not only that but whatever they learn, I learn. They were made for spying and information gathering but with them I can basically have them do my training for me." He failed to mention that they'd also be doing his laundry and shopping soon but he'd had water clones doing that for him for years already.

Shikamaru whistled appreciatively. "Can we learn it?"

Asuma finally spoke up. "Maybe when your jounin," he said sternly. "Now, I believe I need to report to the Hokage; you are all free to return to your homes but meet me at the usual spot tomorrow. Dismissed!"

Team Ten spilt when their sensei had disappeared with some kind words and promises for some hard training come the next day.

As Naruto made his way home he knew he'd held the biggest secret of all to himself and it really didn't bother him all that much. The fox was a part of him and telling them something that personal was honestly out of the question at the moment. As much as he'd liked to know what size bra Ino wore he didn't expect her to tell him nor did he expect Shikamaru to tell them how big his penis was. It was all personal and they'd barely been team-mates for a month and even if he and Shika had been buddies for years he was still coming to terms what it meant to be a jinchuuriki himself.

_Soon though_, he thought. _Yeah, soon. Like the next time were in a life-threatening situation_, he thought, chuckling to himself.

He had no idea that situation was going to come much sooner rather than later.

**IIII**

**Author's Notes:**

Some might be a little peeved that Naruto has two affinities, but that isn't the case, not really anyway. I'm just using it as a way to show his 'growth.' He won't have the Ice Release like Haku since his affinities aren't a kekkei genkai, just a way of showing how he went from having no affinity to anything but wind to having a slight water affinity due to all his training with Dokueki (learning water techniques).

This is speculation, but I'm guessing Naruto's mother had an affinity to water as an Uzumaki, although Nagato is shown using a wind jutsu when younger (he had the Rinnegan, yet they chose wind) so maybe the Uzumaki held affinities to wind. She was from Uzushiogakure (Village Hidden among the Whirling Tides) in the Land of Whirlpools. It is also said – and shown – that Uzushiogakure looks very similar to Kirigakure (Village Hidden in the Mist) whom hold affinities to water. Like I said, this is just speculation but I'm betting Naruto got his wind affinity from his father and if he worked on it, he'd have a water one from his mother.

_Translation_:

Fuuton: Repuu Shou – Wind Release: Gale Palm


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Notes:**

Sorry about the long wait, but with MW3, Battlefield and Skyrim… I think you understand. Not to mention The Old Republic is supposed to be giving out Beta codes soon… Oh man.

Oh yeah, how about 564? I can't wait to see if Naruto really does rip that mask off! Was kinda bummed out that there wasn't an update the week before, but this one was worth the wait.

Happy Thanksgiving, too. I can practically taste the sweet-potato pie now…

Well, here's the latest chapter. Enjoy!

**IIII  
><strong>_**Set it Off Like Napalm!**_**  
>IIII<strong>

Naruto whistled a merry tune as he locked the door of his home and began making his way through the streets of Konoha.

The previous night he and his team had faced their toughest test to date – a pack of hungry and possibly mutant tigers – and come out without any injuries. He was practically aching to face some more danger, even if it came in the form of Tora; he certainly hoped the old man could do better than that though.

"Good morning, Naruto-kun," said Ino politely as she entered the training grounds they'd recently been using, several minutes after he had.

Naruto blinked once, twice, three times before a devilish grin made its way onto his face. "It's 'Naruto-kun' now, eh?"

Ino's face reddened but she still managed an irritated glare. "I could easily change it back to baka if that's what you want!" she snarled.

"No, no," he said pleasantly. "Kun is fine, Ino-chan."

Ino's groan was like music to his ears. Any more bickering between the two was cut short when Shikamaru and their sensei arrived together.

"You two seem friendly," said Asuma with a grin.

"I could say the same," Naruto shot back.

Asuma snorted. "I was playing a little shogi with Shikamaru and his old man, Naruto. Don't get any thoughts." Asuma grinned proudly at all of them. "I believe we are ready."

"Ready for what, sensei?" Ino asked.

"You'll see," he said cryptically and began making his way towards the Hokage Tower.

Naruto bounced on his toes excitedly as he and the rest of Team Ten followed their sensei; today was definitely going to be special if they weren't even bothering with training and heading for their daily dose of missions.

_Maybe were going to finally rescue that princess!_

**IIII**

"Ahh, Asuma-kun, you're here early," said the Sandaime, smiling at Team Ten and their sensei.

Asuma nodded curtly and gave the Hokage a stiff bow. "I am a here because of what we talked about yesterday, Hokage-sama."

"Yes, yes," the old man murmured. "If you truly believe Team Ten is ready then I shall grant you this one request."

"We are," said Asuma without hesitation

"What's going on, sensei, old man?" Naruto demanded.

"Naruto!" Ino barked. "I'm sorry for Naruto's lack of respect, Hokage-same," said Ino, bowing low to the Hokage; Naruto surely had no complaints about Ino bowing as the view was spectacular.

To her astonishment, the Hokage actually chuckled! "You could say that Naruto-kun and I go way back," he said affectionately before getting serious once more. "If you truly believe Team Ten for a C-rank mission then I shall allow it."

"Yatta!"

"C-c-rank?"

"Troublesome…"

Asuma ruffled both Naruto and Shikamaru's heads, chuckling. "Yup! We've done over thirty D-rank missions and I believe we are truly ready as a team for a more challenging mission; if we manage to complete a mission of this caliber with relative ease then we will see what we do from here on out."

The Hokage nodded and began rifling through a stack of scrolls that each had a yellow tab marking on it, signifying that the scrolls were of C-rank. He eventually stopped on and held two scrolls in each as if testing the weight of them.

He slowly raised his eyes and seemed to be conveying a message with their sensei – his son. "You truly believe they are ready?" he asked in resignation.

"Without a doubt," he said with conviction.

The elder Sarutobi nodded and placed one scroll back in a drawer before tossing the scroll in his hands to Asuma. "Rather simple mission I feel; guarding a master bridge-builder from here to his home in Wave Country and watching over him as he builds a bridge," he explained.

"That's it?" Naruto whined.

"Naruto," said Asuma sternly before the Hokage could, "this is an important mission and milestone for Team Ten; our first mission outside of Konoha and of mid-level importance," he explained. "While this may only be a C-rank, that does mean we may have to deal with bandits looking to end," he checked the scroll, "Tazuna-san's life. Someone's life is in our hands, Naruto, and I'd appreciate it if you took this a bit more serious."

Naruto swallowed whatever retorts he had and nodded. "Hai, sensei," he murmured.

"Good," Asuma murmured and checked over the scroll a few more times before handing it to Shikamaru. "We'll head out as soon as we can Hokage-sama."

"Mhm," the old man hummed and grabbed his pipe. "I'll have ANBU inform Tazuna-san that his guard will be waiting for him at the gates. You may go now."

**IIII**

In what seemed like no time at all Team Ten was waiting patiently by the gates for the master bridge-builder Tazuna

Naruto didn't know whether he should have been worried or excited – worried about taking on an actual C-rank mission or excited about leaving the village for the first time.

_Nothing ever comes normal for me_, he thought with a small smirk. _It's only fitting that my first time outside the village be paired with a possible life-threatening situation_.

Ino and Shikamaru were another story – they were just worried if there stances were anything to go by.

Shika hid it well but Naruto could see his wrists tensing in his pockets and Naruto knew without a doubt he was practicing his clan's techniques. Ino, on the other hand, was a lot less subtle, chewing at her finger-nails with gusto; but that wasn't even how Naruto knew.

_She just got her nails done yesterday with our missions pay from the day before!_

"Ready?" Asuma asked, tossing away a cigarette.

Naruto chewed on his lip as he went through a mental checklist of everything on his person; if he wasn't prepared for the mission about to start then he'd be damned cause he couldn't think of anything he forgot.

Eventually, they nodded, ready and resigned to accept their fate. Too bad they had no idea who Tazuna the bridge-builder from Wave really was.

"This is what I paid for?" he slurred with a bottle of sake in his hand that _clearly_ wasn't his first of the day, "a pretty girl, a punk with whiskers and a pineapple-head. I might as well just give up now!"

Shikamaru didn't look offended in the slightest, Naruto looked ready to prove his toughness and Ino looked pleased with his statement.

"Watch it, old man," Naruto growled.

"Now, now, Naruto," said Asuma, smiling frostily at Tazuna, "we don't want to upset our humble client now, do we?"

Naruto gave Tazuna a sneering-smile. "Of course not, sensei. After all, the client is always right."

"Very good," said Asuma, smiling. "Due to this being an escort mission we'll have to travel by foot, that is unless you wish to be carried, Tazuna-san?"

Tazuna's bloodshot-eyes glared at Asuma. "I can walk jus' fine, thank you very much!"

"Good!" said Asuma, "because we ninja pride ourselves on efficiency and keeping up a steady pace! Move out!"

**IIII**

Naruto was disappointed, to say the least. The disappointed was mainly pointed towards the fact that even though they'd left Konoha everything had still looked fairly similar; trees, trees and more trees.

He nodded to himself as he twirled a kunai on his fore-finger. _Scenery won't change much till we reach Wave_…

From Konoha to the port that'd take them to Wave wasn't very far, and seeing as they left fairly early, they'd more likely than not be heading to Wave before nightfall. Rest while moving wasn't going to be comfortable but it would be safer then sleeping in what was possibly a hostile country.

Wave wasn't an enemy of Konoha – the thought alone was both ridiculous and foolish – but Wave was a desperate country, and desperation could lead people to do awful things.

"Will you put that kunai away, kid!" Tazuna snapped, in an oddly enough, Kiba-ish way.

Naruto smirked at the older man; he could practically smell his fear. "If it bothers you…"

"Sensei," Ino spoke up.

"Yes, Ino?" replied Asuma.

"I'd been doing some reading about the economics of the Elemental Nations and bordering countries lately –"

"Really?" Naruto asked, genuinely surprised.

Ino gave Naruto an annoyed look. "Of course!" she snapped. "Wind Country makes some of the best scarves around; the quality here in Fire County just doesn't compare," she said more to herself than anyone else; she _was_ the only woman there. "Anyway," she muttered, "I heard that Wave has been in a really bad way lately."

Asuma nodded and spared the nervous looking Tazuna a look. "You could say that Wave Country has hit a dry spell," he said, glancing towards a puddle of water.

"Sensei, that puddle isn't natural!" Ino shrieked, pointing at the puddle, and a moment later, the puddle exploded before morphing into two ninjas wearing breathing masks, attached by a claw on each hand – one being the right, and the other the left.

Shikamaru shook his head as he lazily pulled a kunai from his pocket. "Subtlety never was one of your finer points, Ino," he muttered.

"Now really isn't the time," Naruto growled, glaring at the two nins; he too had noticed the puddle but chose not to speak on the subject, instead settling for an ambush he was positive their sensei was aiming towards.

Too bad their sensei had disappeared almost as soon – if not _before_ – the nins showed themselves.

With two warbled cries, the nins charged, only they didn't charge Ino, Naruto or Shikamaru; they charged Tazuna, using the razor-sharp chain connecting them as a close-line.

Lashing out with a swift, but somewhat weak kick, Naruto shoved Tazuna out of certain death and leapt into the air while palming two kunai. With two snaps of the wrist the explosive-tag laden kunais soared at the enemy nins, forcing them to avert their path. Two small explosions shook the ground sending dirt and earth into the air; from the cloud of debris the two nins appeared looking shook but fine.

Wasting no time, they took off towards the bridge-builder again, only to suddenly stop.

Shikamaru grunted. "You gonna stand there all day, baka, or are you gonna put them down?"

Naruto snorted and palmed two more kunai before flinging them at the captured nins.

He didn't revel in killing, but he'd do it for his teammates, even if it meant saving them a little sleep. They'd been trained to be ninjas longer than he'd been able to read, but they'd still yet to take a proper life; stray rodents did _not_ count, no matter how much Ino said it did. It was an unspoken agreement made; a pact: he'd spare them the hardship until the time came for them to act and be the executioner for the time being unless their sensei said otherwise.

Speaking of sensei…

"Why'd you block my kunai?" Naruto demanded; only one the projectiles had found their home between the eyes of their targets.

"Ino!" Asuma barked all business.

"H-hai, sensei," she replied timidly, and even Shikamaru looked a little disturbed; tigers was one thing, but people were another, and they could both clearly see the kunai buried to the hilt sticking out of the nins forehead; the other had been knocked unconscious upon Asuma's return.

"We need to interrogate this one and you have the easiest means do just that; tear his head apart if you have to, but find what we're looking for," he ordered.

"Hai, sensei!" she replied, her confidence returning and went to work.

"Great job, Naruto, Shikamaru," said Asuma seriously, though he was glaring at Tazuna who looked a bit peaky himself. "You acted phenomenally without my help against tough opponents."

"Tough?" Naruto couldn't keep the small sneer of his face.

Asuma smiled. "Don't let it go to your head, kid," he said, ruffling Naruto's hair and stepping away to talk with Tazuna.

"So," said Shikamaru.

"So?" Naruto repeated.

"Thanks for doing it," he muttered, sparing the cooling corpse a small glance.

They were friends and he didn't need to say it, but it helped.

An extremely pale Ino made her way towards the team.

"What's up?" Naruto questioned as Shikamaru watched her with narrowed eyes.

"Back already, Ino?" said Asuma cheerfully, only to stop when he saw the shade she'd gone. "What is it?"

"Sensei, the man after Tazuna-san is none other than the millionaire Gatou – Gatou of Gatou Shipping!" Her eyes were bulging and had the situation not been so serious Naruto'd probably laugh at her.

Asuma stroke his chin in thought. "This is bad, but not too bad, yet," he murmured. "Gatou may have plenty of cash at his disposal but he's obviously underestimated Tazuna's resourcefulness, and us, for that matter."

Ino swallowed and shook her head. "These people were only working for the man Gatou hired."

Asuma sighed. "Figures," he muttered, "and who would that be?"

"Momochi Zabuza, the Demon of the Mist," she whispered shakily; the mere sound of his name seemed to terrify her.

"An A-rank missing-nin? Sweet!" Naruto exclaimed. He obviously knew who the Demon of the Mist was; only an idiot would become a ninja without getting a hold of a bingo book. While his teammates may share different thoughts, or opinions, the thought of fighting an opponent as strong as Momochi Zabuza excited him; he'd get a true chance to test his limits.

"Naruto!" said Asuma sharply, though his heart wasn't completely in it, "this is serious! Momochi Zabuza is a _real_ monster." He gave Naruto a meaningful look. He then rounded on Tazuna, "And you!" he barked. "You knew Gatou was after you yet you didn't mention it to the Hokage!"

Tazuna had no idea who Momochi Zabuza was, but if the name alone was scaring a group of ninjas, then he'd follow along and be terrified as well. "Wave is poor and it's only getting worse! We barely had enough for this mission; there was no way we could afford anything above a C-rank! I knew Gatou wanted me dead but I had no idea it would be this bad!"

Asuma shook his head and ran a hand along his face. "This is very bad," he said, shaking his head as if to clear some thoughts. "Momochi Zabuza is as ruthless as they come and this is our first C-rank mission." He shook his head again, this time in what looked like defeat. "I will not risk the lives of my students because you decided to lie to the Hokage. I'm very sorry, Tazuna-san, but the mission ends here."

Tazuna looked like he wanted to protest, but stopped and nodded weakly, what little color he had draining from his face.

"What's going on?" Naruto shouted. "Were just going to let Tazuna-jiji here just walk to his death? What kind of punk-ass ninjas are we?"

Shikamaru groaned. "Naruto, as strong as we are, this is a missing-nin were talking about with no conscience who would kill is without hesitation."

Naruto glared at his long-time friend before shaking his head. "I could expect this from Ino, and maybe sensei, but you? I thought I knew you better than that, Shika. I'm disappointed…"

"And what is that supposed to mean?" the Nara asked hotly – a rare show of emotion.

Naruto shrugged. "Chouji or Kiba, hell, even Sasuke would have wanted to keep going; to test ourselves and help an entire country who needs it. I know you're a lazy bastard and all that, but this is serious."

"Exactly!" Shikamaru nearly shouted. "This is serious! This isn't just a game. We could die!"

"You think I'd let any of you die?" he asked quietly.

"What? No, of course not. Ugh," Shikamaru groaned as Naruto smirked. The lazy Nara turned. "Sensei, I'm with Naruto."

He nodded and looked at the last member of Team Ten. "I say no, so the vote is up to you, Ino. We're a team and we'll continue or forfeit this mission as a team."

"Me?" she squeaked.

"Come on, Ino-chan!" shouted Naruto. "Don't you wanna see what kind of underwear they sell in Wave Country?" He wiggled his eyebrows.

The Yamanaka did not giggle, nor did she smile. "What did you mean when you said, 'I could expect this from Ino'?"

Naruto sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I like you, Ino, I really do, but you priorities as a ninja are totally shit," he said seriously.

"What did you say?" she shrieked.

Naruto sighed and was about to just repeat himself before stopping. "This mission is going to be very serious, and more likely than not, dangerous. By the way, where did you get that top?"

"This one?" she asked, giving a little twirl. "My mother and I went shopping last weekend. I think Sasuke-kun will like it!"

Shikamaru groaned as Naruto smacked his head.

"That is my point. Not only did you lose track of the proper subject but your infatuation with Sasuke is both sad, and disappointing. I could expect that kind of worship form Sakura or any of the other civilians, but you? I'd of figured your mother and father would have knocked some sense into you by now."

"Naruto," Ino growled, "you're just saying that because you think your Sasuke-kun's rival. Get it through your head, baka, he was the rookie of the year!"

Naruto just shook his head. "I'm trying to help you," he said with a hint of desperation and longing creeping into his tones. "Sasuke cares about himself and revenge – not you, me, Sakura and Kiba, his sensei or even the Hokage, Ino-chan. He wants power and will do anything to get it. You need to let go of your foolish beliefs that he'll one day grow a soul and sweep you off your feet."

"Shut up," she choked out; it saddened Naruto to see he'd brought her to the verge of tears.

Naruto gave a nod. "I will, just remember that you're a ninja and we have a chance to do something important right now. This has nothing to do with Sasuke; it has everything to do with Tazuna, Wave Country and Team Ten. Just remember that when you're making your choice." His speech finally over, Naruto walked away with Shikamaru on his heels.

He never heard Ino's choice.

"Sensei, I wanna continue…"

**IIII**

"Thanks, kid," said Tazuna.

Naruto nodded and kept walking, his hands stuffed deep in his pockets, each hand wrapped tightly around a kunai; he _knew_ they weren't being watched or follow but that didn't help him get a grip on his nerves.

The choice Ino had made had been a big one, but they were ninja, and life in the field didn't come easy nor was it black in white all the time; it was one of the first lessons given to a ninja and their sensei had made it a point to burn it into their memory. Shades of gray mingled with the black and white and nothing was ever set in stone when it came to the life of a ninja.

Death was as certain as life, but life never crept up on you with a blade poised to tear out your throat like death did. Life was, ironically enough, slow and filled with pain while the best death possible was quick and painless.

Asuma, Ino, Shikamaru and even Tazuna knew it. On some level Naruto had known it all of his life whether he knew it or not.

The Yondaime had been young and full of life with a child supposedly on the way, not to mention the strongest ninja to have ever walked through streets of Konoha, yet his life had been snuffed out without mercy or hesitation due to his own sacrifice; quick and painless didn't make it simple or any easier.

_But he was the Hokage_, Naruto thought, chewing his lower-lip. _I _want_ to be the Hokage, but I'm _not_ the Hokage! What if_–he swallowed thickly–_what if I'm not ready for that sacrifice yet?_ He took a look back at his team. Asuma was walking with aura of confidence Naruto felt was there for their sake; Shikamaru's normally lazy eyes were slowly sweeping around the scenery and Ino looked a bit jittery and nervous. _Yes_, he decided. _I'll make the sacrifice if it comes to it because what kind of Hokage would I be if I couldn't even save a friend?_

"We're here," said Tazuna, pointing to the rickety boat that'd bring them to Wave.

Things were about to get interesting and the fight for Wave was literally about to begin…

**IIII**

**Author's Notes:**

A bit of a cliffhanger at the end (not really for anyone with half a brain who knows what's(who's) lurking in the trees of Wave Country atop his blade). I'd originally planned on having the battle with Zabuza be this chapter as well, but I decided to save it for the next one.

Title of this chapter is another favorite song of mine by a favored band as well, although the title of this chapter is sort of a two-parter with the next chapter. A lot of the chapters are some of my favorite songs (chapter 8 as well as this one and the next for example). Anyone who notices them has good taste in music ;).

_Translation_:


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Notes:**

Thats right, an update!

Very sorry for the long wait, but I have been busy and while continuing this story has always been on my mind (the thought of abandoning it never really crossed my mind), I just didn't have the time or inspiration to put it ahead of other important things in my life. Sometimes – as all writers know – inspiration just leaves you and the subject you are on and places it somewhere…else.

Also – while there isn't really an excuse for such a long time period between updates and I wouldn't dare blame this as the reason for my long wait alone – the fate of Tobi, Kabuto, Sasuke, Itachi and several others have been weighing on my mind and the flow of this story, cause those characters play an important role in my story – the ones before mention for sure – and I wouldn't want to look _too_ stupid when their time comes. I'll admit, I am a bit paranoid when writing and planning. I don't like doing something un-canon and having no real reason for it.

On a final note, I have seen the changes this site has made and heard about more to come. I had planned on having a few encounters of sexual nature but I guess that is out the window as I'd rather not have my story removed for something not entirely important to the story. As it stands, I see no reason for my story to be removed. I am, however, a little angry that a story on my favorite's list was removed without any warning and I simply cannot figure out which one it was…I'm honestly more annoyed that I don't know which story it was rather than the story itself was removed. Though I'll probably be pissed when I found out which story got the ax.

**IIII  
><strong>_**Ninjas in Wave Country**_**  
>IIII<strong>

The boat-ride was a quiet and somewhat somber affair and it annoyed Naruto to no end. He was used to energy, loudness, something, _anything_…

_I feel like I'm riding the boat that's taking me to my execution_…

He shook his blond-haired head, attempting to clear it of such morbid thoughts. Still, he couldn't push them away entirely with all the information rattling around up there. He usually didn't think too much or as hard as he was at the moment, but when he did, he went all out.

Asuma was easily an A-ranked ninja who was one of the strongest jounin the Leaf had to offer, but so was Momochi Zabuza – only he didn't have a conscience if the Bingo Book's description was anything to go by. He also didn't have a group of freshly-minted ninja _or_ an old drunk to watch after like Asuma did. Zabuza, however, had one clear goal that was plain as day: Kill the old man along with anyone assisting or defending him.

_So many things can go wrong_, Naruto thought, glancing from his teammates, to his sensei, to their client who was, to be perfectly honestly, the last person he was worried about.

Failed mission or not, Naruto was not about to sacrifice a precious person for a client who had deliberately lied to him, Ino, Shikamaru, his sensei and the Hokage of all people. It honestly surprised – and disappointed – him how Tazuna managed to fool the old man so easily. He _was_ the Hokage and being fooled by a drunk wasn't setting a good example for anything in life, let alone the leader of a military-based village.

The old man was a legend everywhere – not just in Konoha or Fire Country – and a master of deception along with every other ninja art known to man, and while part of him thought that maybe – _just maybe_ – he had given them a harder mission to test them, he also know how very unlikely that was. Their sensei was his son and while he probably knew his abilities better than most jounin under his command, he wouldn't trust the life of a few green genin with _anyone_ on such a dangerous mission.

There was also the fact that he would take a lot of shit from the council were anything to happen to them with Ino being the daughter of a clan head and Shikamaru a son. There was also what he held in his belly…

Naruto lifted his forehead protector and rubbed at the exposed area with a groan. _Stop thinking so hard!_ _Supposed to be clearing my head of such miserable thoughts…_

Casting another look, he sighed for what seemed like the thousandth time.

Wave also wasn't doing much to cheer up his mood, the foggy atmosphere seemingly carrying all the gloom he felt inside around him and his team like a thick, muggy blanket. They were ninja, and the low visibility didn't affect them too much, but it just hinted bad intentions. It wasn't a jutsu, but Naruto knew a jutsu – or anything for that matter – didn't need to actually touch them to have an effect, and that applied to any area of life, not just ninja. They were not supposed to show emotion, but that didn't mean you couldn't feel them and little pick-me-ups like clear skies and a lack of hunger could be the difference between life and death.

The sight of the bridge helped, but that was akin to drinking a single cup of water while dying of dehydration in the barren deserts of Suna, or eating but one bowl of ramen when hungry.

Not wanting to dwell on hard choices or that of life and death anymore, Naruto finally decided to break the silence aboard the rickety vessel.

"So Tazuna-jiji, what's it like in Wave?" he prodded.

The atmosphere didn't get any better with his question asked and the jittery man whose boat they were aboard was really starting to pry at Naruto's nerves.

_You'd think Zabuza was listening to us here and now, clinging to the bottom of this shit raft!_

"Horrible," he muttered, drawing Naruto's attention and glare away from their conductor. "Gatou has destroyed everything we once were with anything he could, from drugs and prostitution to extortion and murder." He shook his head in disgust, glaring at the approaching tunnel in the distance. "This bridge is our only hope and if it doesn't get completed we might as well rename Wave after Gatou." He spat over the side of the boat, obviously done speaking on the subject.

"Troublesome," Shikamaru muttered, tilting his head back and squinting at the overcast sky hanging above them, only for it to disappear as they entered a dark tunnel.

"Yeah," Naruto sighed, leaning back and closing his eyes. "Troublesome."

**IIII**

The ride itself wasn't interrupted and may have even been pleasant under different circumstances, if they had not been taking it into a hostile zone, if they didn't have to worry about a dangerous missing-nin, if this wasn't there first truly dangerous mission…

_Or if the boat didn't move so fucking slow!_

Much to the annoyance of Team Ten, the slowly approaching docks weren't approaching fast enough for some.

"Yahoo!" Naruto shouted, throwing himself atop the water and hauling ass.

Droplets of water splashed against his whiskered face as he sprinted across the water, arms splayed behind him and nearly dipping into the water below.

Of all the Team Ten members, Asuma was annoyed the least, mainly in part to the fact that he was only annoyed because Naruto's serious facade hadn't even lasted a boat ride, but on the other hand, the happy-go-lucky Naruto was better than a gloomy one – the mission and country had enough gloom already without the energetic Uzumaki become a boring drone. Ino was annoyed mainly thanks to the splash Naruto initially made upon exiting the boat, soaking her to the bone, though she had not been dry beforehand and Shikamaru was annoyed because his peaceful boat ride was likely at its end, due to the separation of his protectors Tazuna would likely urge the man transporting them aboard his boat faster in fear that the Demon of the Mist might attack him when they were separated from one of their own.

Naruto could care less – he was having fun! Too bad his momentary fun was at its end as he came to skidding halt, sending water in every direction before he launched himself upon on the waiting pier. Grinning, he turned back to the water, "Come on you lazy shits!"

"Are you sure he's fit to be a ninja?" Tazuna muttered, more to himself than anyone aboard the boat.

Asuma chuckled good-naturedly, throwing himself over the edge of the boat and landing atop the water with well-practiced ease and form, sending but a small ripple of water around him. "We're ninja," he said, shrugging and walking the final few feet before the water met land. "You have to be a little crazy in our line of work."

**IIII**

The overcast sky had cleared leaving them able to walk in the sunlight, but the humid conditions weren't much better.

_It's so hot, and wet, and moist, and sticky! And I hate it!_

Deep in Naruto's subconscious something was roaring with laughter at his jailer's thoughts.

Naruto was not one to be deterred by the weather of all things. "Well –" Anything he planned on saying was cut short by a scream – no, not a scream, a high-pitched squeal that signified something cute and positively delightful.

"How cute!" Ino marveled at the snow-white bunny happily snuggled in her arms.

Shikamaru snorted. "You'd think she wasn't terrified just two seconds ago."

Asuma chuckled, though it was without a drop of humor. "Anything to relieve the tension," he muttered, glaring harshly at the bunny in Ino's grasp as though it were an actual danger.

With his sensitive hearing, he heard it whirling through the air before he saw it. With no hesitation Naruto was already falling and had a kunai with ninja wire sailing towards the still unprepared Yamanaka bent on protecting the bunny as Shikamaru hit the dirt with a lazy flop; Asuma flung Tazuna to the ground. With a jerk the kunai planted itself into a tree, and with a tug of wire, Ino was sent sprawling to the ground, the rabbit taking the chance to flee.

The momentary danger was seemingly replaced with a killing intent, not coming from their attacker, but from the sensei of Team Ten, focused directly at the shirtless man perched atop a massive, cleaver-like blade stuck deep in the side of a tree.

"Momochi Zabuza," he all but growled. "I was wondering when you would finally make you're grand entrance."

Naruto could read people well and Zabuza appeared positively delighted his entrance had drawn such a reaction from his sensei. "Sarutobi Asuma I presume? Runt of the Third Hokage and an A-rank jounin of Konohagakure no Sato," he rumbled, crouching atop his blade and chuckling darkly.

"Runt am I?" snarled Asuma, freeing his trench-knives and preparing himself for a fight. Naruto didn't know whether to be excited or nervous, so he settled for both.

Zabuza was atop the water with his large blade in a flash, his hands curled into a modified ram seal with one hand high and the other low; the water he stood atop seemed to be quivering at his feet, twisting and transforming into a fog not unlike the one that'd been plaguing them. "What else would I call the son of a legend, living off his father's accomplishments and table scraps?" They couldn't see it, due to the bandages covering the lower portion of his face, but they could _hear_ the sneer in Zabuza's gravelly voice. "Had you been anything but a disappointment you'd be the leader of all those tree-hugging faggots! Now, be a good little shinobi of the Leaf and stand down while I remove the bridge builder's fucking head."

Asuma nodded, resigned. "That's it; I'm going to kill you. Team!" he barked, all business, "guard Tazuna with your lives and do not interfere in this battle!"

"But sensei…" Naruto whined.

Shikamaru cuffed Naruto on the head with his kunai-less hand. "Listen to sensei, Naruto," he mumbled out the side of his mouth. "We have no place in a fight between ninja of their caliber."

"Shikamaru is correct, Naruto," said Asuma, assessing the former Kiri shinobi with hard eyes. "I've told you this already – Momochi Zabuza is a real monster, having slaughtered his genin class just to become a Kiri-nin. He will show no hesitation or mercy to us, the enemy."

"Whatever," Naruto grumbled, fingering a kunai.

Zabuza wasted no more time shouting out something lost among the rippling water, and in a flash, the fog that had been stirring at his beckoning became thicker and so much more frightening. The killing intent that seemed to be blanketing them didn't help either.

"Shit," Naruto cursed. "Too bad we don't have a Hyuuga to see through this," he muttered, straining his eyes to no avail.

Ino was the one to cuff Naruto on the back of the head this time and while Naruto knew it was meant to lighten the tension, he could feel her hand tremble as it struck him with a shaky blow, and that worried him.

People were known to do reckless and extremely foolish things upon feeling fairly potent killing intent – like the kind Momochi Zabuza possessed – for the first time. Naruto'd be lying if he said he had felt killing intent this viscous and spine-chilling before, but he had also lived with glares piercing his back since but he knew what a glare truly was. He took every unkind action some of the hateful villagers dealt out and used it as a lesson.

_And I'll be damned if I fall to shambles the first time I'm truly tested! I won't _ever_ let those bastards think I'm a failure!_

"Ino!" he snapped, startling the poor girl. "Keep your shit together and don't do anything stupid with that kunai. Asuma-sensei would never let anything happen to us so try and block it out as best you can, and Shika," he added, turning slightly to the grim-faced Nara, "if she tries anything put her down."

It was an obvious testament to the situation they were in, that not only did Shikamaru forgo complaining, but Ino refrained from questioning him as well.

Then the situation got a whole lot worse.

"Eight choices…" a voice rasped, hidden within the mist. "Liver, lungs, spine, collarbone, jugular, brain, kidneys and the heart! Now…which should I go after?"

There was a shuffling sound, almost a rustling of wind and leaves, which only a fellow shinobi could pick up after hours upon hours of training with. As it was, no member of Team Ten was very surprised when a comforting light breeze came in and some of the mist clogging their vision dissipated into nothingness.

Still, sometimes being blind to what is really right in front of you is actually better than seeing it, especially when that something is a murderous nuke-nin, right in side of your guard ready to kill you.

"It's over!" he cried with a monstrous swing of his massive cleaver that would likely end more lives than one if the sword's aim was true.

"Not yet!" Asuma roared back, sending a kunai laced with wind chakra straight through Zabuza, barely missing the man they were tasked with guarding.

Tazuna damn-near fainted when Asuma's kunai missed nicking his throat and all but wet himself when Zabuza burst like a balloon filled with water, drenching all but Asuma who was still a fair distance away.

All was quiet as the mist continued to disperse in the wake of Asuma's wind jutsu.

"Team, execute the shadow diamond right now!" their sensei bellowed.

Wasting no time they formed around Tazuna with Naruto taking the lead, six feet directly in front of Tazuna whom was two feet in front of a squatting Shikamaru and four in front of Ino; three shadow clones quickly came to life, one taking Tazuna's left and another, his right, with the last taking the open spot behind Ino.

The shadow clones, however, were _not_ the reason this particular formation was called the shadow diamond. To an outsider who heard its name and knew what a shadow clone was, it would seem fairly obvious, especially if the person in the center kept his or her mouth shut. However…

"Hey! What are you doing?" Tazuna demanded, trying to move but failing spectacularly.

"Troublesome," Shikamaru muttered. "Stop fighting it or you will just tire me out. With me in control of your body's movement your chances of survival increase drastically."

Tazuna didn't like it, but orders were orders and the kid had a point. The lazy brat could move a fair deal faster than he when he wanted to. Too bad it wasn't the energetic brat pulling the strings.

"It won't make any difference," Zabuza's disembodied voice crooned from beyond their sight.

"Enough of this!" Asuma snarled, slamming his hands together and roaring, "Fuuton: Daitoppa!"

The mist cleared and Zabuza wasted no time engaging Asuma whose chakra-knives were already free and ready for combat.

The fight was fast, it was furious, and it was brutal. Neither shinobi was holding back and both were aiming to kill or at the very least injure on a debilitating level.

Just watching, Naruto felt his body trembling slightly in excitement and pent up nerves. This was _real_ ninja fighting looked like. Mizuki had been a sad joke as were those two trash shinobi they'd dealt with prior to reaching Wave.

Asuma and Zabuza were on a level Naruto'd admit he had not reached yet and that both excited and terrified him. A giant splash of water snagged his attention.

Another Zabuza clone had just exploded in a shower of water when a giant dragon with menacing yellow eyes composed of water swirled to life and slammed hard into Asuma, who was promptly replaced with a wooden log.

_Where the hell did he find a log atop a lake?_

Naruto shook his head, focusing back on the fight. Asuma was nowhere to be seen and Zabuza stool fearlessly – stupid really – in the open, with no weapon in hand, oddly enough.

Two Asumas appeared suddenly, surrounding Zabuza and engaging him furiously and relentlessly. They had the advantage but Zabuza was skilled and no direct hits had yet to be landed. When both Asumas plunged a blade directly into Zabuza's chest he barely withheld a shriek and it was a good thing too, seeing as it was another water clone and a blade-wielding Zabuza was on them so fast one Asuma didn't make it, puffing out of existence.

Asuma inhaled sharply, letting fly several 'wind bullets' at the missing-nin who had little trouble – amazingly enough considering the size of the blade he was carrying – dodging the small, yet numerous and quickly approaching aerial projectiles. With a perfectly executed hand-plant, Zabuza was upon their sensei with his blade aimed to kill, when Asuma flickered out of existence only to reappear mere inches away and already lunging.

Naruto gasped this time and he was sure he'd heard several more from behind him. He suddenly got a bad feeling which only worsened drastically when the Zabuza impaled upon Asuma's trench-knives grabbed hold roughly and shoved Asuma backwards. The large blade fell from the leaking Zabuza and was caught before it even reached the water and quickly swung ferociously, decimating the clone that had held the blade and dropping Asuma with a spray of _real_, crimson blood.

Naruto was moving before his sensei hit the water, with a speed he had no clue he possessed. He was on Zabuza with a kunai in each hand, swinging as hard, fast and with as much skill as he could in his current state of undisguised rage.

He never even realized he had been running on all fours.

Zabuza seemed shocked a mere genin could move as fast as he did or had the amount of strength he possessed for his size. Coming to a deadlock, he got a good look at his opponent's hateful eyes: they were crimson and filled with murder.

_Ahh, this is a real shinobi! He could have been something back in the Bloody Mist! Perhaps he will replace Haku when I–  
><em>

Naruto did not allow his time for thoughts, swinging with reckless abandon. He was out for blood – Momochi Zabuza's blood. He had hurt – possibly even killed – his precious sensei and he had to pay for what he'd done. His first mistake was betraying his comrades in Kiri, his second was taking the mission to kill Tazuna and his last was injuring the leader of Team Ten. Naruto would see this man dead before his days were done.

Snarling in frustration he swung out with a kunai attempting the technique – swallowing the fly? – Asuma had recently shown them in a moment of over-excited indulgence. What he hoped for was wind chakra, but that was _not_ what materialized off the end of his blade and tore into Zabuza. The chakra looked nothing like the kind Asuma had used. His, Naruto's, was a deep orange, tinged with red that looked very much like the blood currently coming out of Zabuza's chest.

He didn't hesitate when he saw Zabuza hit the top of the water in an oh-so similar way to his sensei and that thought alone sealed his fate further. He lunged at Zabuza with a roar that frightened even his own self and clamped his clawed-hand – _claw?_ – around Zabuza's throat and squeezed, easily lifting the larger man off the water's top. Naruto could see him choking and the blood staining the bandages covering his mouth as he gripped him tighter. He could even _smell_ the fear on him and he wished to drag it out a little longer, but his sensei was his priority and he would simply have to kill the scum in his grip quickly before checking on his beloved sensei.

"Release Zabuza-sama at once or the lives of your comrade's are forfeit!"

Naruto growled low in his throat and turned, only to freeze at the sight he saw. On paper, the choice should have been obvious and he was positive the more fanatical ninjas of his village would have ended Zabuza's life without a second's hesitation. He, however, would not let a teammate die at his watch and _especially_ not right before his own fucking eyes.

A masked ninja – obviously affiliated with the scum in his grip if his ridiculous term of endearment (_talk about a fucking fanatic!_) was anything to go by – stood calmly in-between Ino and Shikamaru with his arms spread in either direction, senbon pointed directly at the throat of both Ino and Shikamaru. He wanted to scoff and laugh at the thought of senbon being a danger to anyone, but vaguely remembered a story Iruka had told them all during their time in the academy. He didn't remember the details, but it was about how a Leaf-nin who went by the name Riddick was captured by Iwa during the third war and how he killed a man with only a tea-cup before managing to escape his jailers and amazingly make it back to Konoha. The story had sadly lost most of its luster due to the Yondaime's destruction of Iwa during the war but was still a favorite 'war story' of some.

The situation _could_ have been worse. The masked shinobi could have easily killed both Ino and Shikamaru before making his move onto Tazuna…if the last two clones weren't still guarding him.

Naruto wondered what Asuma would have done before sparing his fallen sensei a quick glance; the pool of blood he lay in didn't look _that_ bad, but he needed medical attention as soon as possible.

Making his decision, he slammed his free hand as hard as he could into Zabuza's temple and tossed him roughly towards land before the familiar sound of shadow clones bursting into existence permeated the surrounding area.

No words were needed and none were spoken.

All four clones had kunai-in-hand, no doubt ready to end Zabuza right where he lay, but the masked-nin took his opportunity and fled with him before anyone could even blink, disappearing in a shower of water and what looked like ice.

Naruto didn't know if he was hallucinating or the blood surging through his veins was playing tricks on his ears, but he could have sworn he'd heard someone whisper, 'Thank you.'

Holding back a pitiful sigh of relief, he made his way towards land where the clones were carrying his sensei. The rest of his team and Tazuna were already there waiting anxiously.

"What the _fuck_ happened?" he demanded the moment they were all close enough, wincing as the energy seemed to be leaving him.

"Troublesome," Shikamaru muttered, wiping a pearl of crimson blood from his throat. "That masked ninja just _appeared_ out of thin air ready to take out our throats. I still had Tazuna held within my jutsu when he appeared, while Ino on the other hand had broken formation and was solely focused on the fight."

"Do _not_ put this on me!" she screamed.

Naruto noted her eyes were glassy but said nothing. He could understand Shikamaru's annoyance with Ino's loss of the objective, but the likely outcome wasn't much better. Had she stayed it'd of just been Shikamaru with a senbon at his throat with her watching helplessly a few feet away or vice-verse. Sometimes it's better to be part of the tragedy, rather than being forced to take on the role of helpless observer. Naruto knew without a doubt he'd rather be in a fight to the death with his team rather than watching his team fight till their death.

Shikamaru grunted as he stood, wringing out his limbs. "Naruto should have opened Zabuza up when he had the chance and dealt with the consequences." Naruto had never felt like hitting Shikamaru as much as he did then and there. "Don't give me that look," he snapped while stuffing his hands into his pockets. "The possible outcome _could_ have been our deaths, or he could have gone berserk and went straight for Naruto, leaving us both unharmed."

Shikamaru had that damnable smirk on his face and Naruto still felt like hitting him, but his logic had made a bit of sense. Either way, they would never know. It was the Land of Waves, after all, and one had just come and wiped the slate clean. Zabuza and his partner would prepare for the next showdown, but so would Team Ten, only this time they'd be ready!

_And make no mistake; I shall have my revenge, Zabuza! You will die for hurting a precious person of mine!_

"By the way," Ino spoke up. "What kind of technique was that, Naruto? I mean, you moved _so_ fast!"

Both Ino and Shikamaru seemed very interested and to be honest, he had no idea what had really happened either. Somehow he just _knew_ on an instinctual level that it was the Kyuubi's doing; he did not know whether he should be fearful or thankful. And he _had_ promised himself he would tell them the next time they were in real danger…He opened his mouth to speak when a groan stole all of their attention at once.

"Sensei!"

He tried pushing himself to his feet only to let loose a stream of curses before trying again with the other hand, still barely making it to his knees _with_ the help of Naruto's clones.

When they had all gotten a better view, every single eye could only stare at one thing.

That one thing being the ruined stump that used to be Sarutobi Asuma's left hand.

"S-sensei!"

"Troublesome."

"Zabuza will die!"

"Do you think the Hokage will send me a replacement since this one is broken?"

**IIII**

**Author's Notes:**

Didn't expect that did you? I'd planned on it happening but just couldn't figure out how to get it down in writing. I've always had a clear picture of how I wanted the final part on the bridge to go and the subsequent chapters after this 'arc', but getting to the point can be difficult.

I'll try and get out another chapter as soon as possible and will kill myself before taking as long as I did this time.

Till next time!

_Translation_:

Fuuton: Daitoppa – Wind Release: Great Breakthrough


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Notes:**

My friends, the story has broken 200,000 views as well as 600 reviews! Let's see if we can hit a 1,000,000 before the next update! Seriously, thanks to anyone taking the time to read and review this story. Athletes are always giving speeches – _cough_, LeBron, _cough_ – about the fans being their drive, but we all know they would play in an empty lot if they were guaranteed millions for doing so. I – like others on this site – are not guaranteed anything and the only reasons we _really_ have to keep writing is your interest in the story.

Anyways, I have another story up that's a Bleach and Naruto crossover, so feel free to check that out if you like. Not really a Naruto story for all intents and purposes, but it doesn't get much better than a badass Naruto swinging a sword.

One last thing…How you just gonna revive Orochi-teme like that? You have any idea what kind of boomerang that threw into my story, Kishi-baka? SMH…my original plan has not changed, but I just got an idea so good it appears a major nerd-boner is eminent.

Now, onto the next chapter!

**IIII  
><strong>_**Mayonaka Orchestra  
><strong>_**IIII**

Naruto grunted in frustration, again. It was not the first time he had done so on the long walk to Tazuna's house and it would not be the last. He was determined as well as stubborn to a fault.

Asuma offered up one of his own. "Another?" he asked sourly.

Naruto nodded and curled his hands, performing the seal and not even bothering to look as another shadow clone burst to life, quickly transforming into another bland animal – a rat that would normally draw no attention whatsoever – and taking off towards the way they had come. The group had been walking less than ten minutes when Naruto gave a little twitch and a bitter noise escaped his throat.

He sighed despairingly. "It's no use, sensei," he muttered with downcast eyes. "I keep sending them and he just keeps on destroying them. He isn't even hiding anymore and there is more than just one clone out there. Some of them fall due to senbon and others," his words trailed off as he gave a little shudder. "So cold…"

For a moment, as memories of the freezing cold overcame him, he thought of throwing caution back at the bitter wind and sending Dokueki or another salamander back, but scratched that idea almost immediately. He'd never seen what could be considered a normal salamander, other than the ones he summoned on occasion, and the ones he knew personally would stick out amongst the random animals. Besides, even if he did summon an inconspicuous one there was the chance that it couldn't even speak the common tongue. The best option was trying to send another message later, though every minute spent waiting was another moment closer to their next confrontation with Zabuza or whoever else Gatou tried to throw at them.

"I was worried something like this might happen," Asuma muttered, rubbing his sore wrist. His hand was bandaged and it would just have to do until they returned to Konoha, or someone with more healing skills than he possessed came by. "From here on out it looks like we're on our own, team."

Ino gave a little moan behind her hand. "Why don't we try sending one of us back?"

There was no need to inquire who would be going back if she had her way. If Naruto was honest with himself, he knew that she _should_ be the one sent back due the infiltrations training most kunoichi are given at the academy. Still, he knew these were not the ideas running through the girl's head and the rest knew it too.

Slowly, Shikamaru turned to her. "Sensei is injured and out of us three only Naruto stands a chance against Zabuza or his partner in crime." The lazy genius chose not to mention the possibility of Gatou having more ruthless ninja at his command. Goons and thugs, surely, but ninja – even mere genin (like them) – were on an entirely different level. "Separated, we die; together, we have a higher chance at survival though by no means is it guaranteed." He turned away from Ino before what little color her face had could drain away.

Naruto felt his limbs lock and his stomach curl at Shikamaru's words – like burning iron rods were piercing the seal on his stomach. They were blunt, they were true and they tore at him harder than the harshest of blows. He'd been lucky enough to not get himself killed fighting against Zabuza, but where had that left his teammates?

Their strategy hadn't worked all that well and he and Tazuna were the only ones to come out mostly unfazed. Ino and Shikamaru were inches away from death and Asuma had _lost a hand_. He was positive a medic-nin back in Konoha could give him a prosthetic imbued with and tuned to his chakra that would be as good as new – possibly even better, stronger and more durable even – but they had to reach Konoha first, and that was not guaranteed.

They'd quietly discussed – though Tazuna had obviously overheard them – returning to Konoha, but that option was sullied as well. After hearing of Zabuza's injuries, Asuma was positive the missing-nin would be out of commission for a while with no means of killing anything but time, but his partner was out there, and though they thought he'd let them pass in exchange for Tazuna's life, then what? The mission parameters had changed, yes, but they had not gone into battle blind.

Tazuna had also kindly pointed out that they weren't in Fire Country anyone. They were in Wave and it was all but owned by Gatou. They'd been lucky enough finding a willing form of transportation into Wave, finding it out would be damn-near impossible to do while staying off Gatou's radar the entire time, which also meant that any Konoha shinobi sent in as backup would likely have the same problem. His people were everywhere, some right in the open and carrying out Gatou's order with bravado, while others hid in plain sight, working from the shadows like some kind of ANBU mockery.

_Every_ member of Team Ten had too much pride to allow that type of shame; to simply step aside while their client was butchered like a pig because the task at hand was too hard.

Ninja had committed seppuku for lesser offences.

When it came down to it, the harsh truth was that failure was not an option when it came to tasks that simply could_ not _– with a capital fucking N – be failed. One bad call was all it took for a run-of-the-mill ninja to go from a prestigious place like bleeding and sweating and fighting alongside his peers in battle to a sentry, rotting away on permanent border-patrol in some shit part of Fire Country. Kami-forbid a woman – Naruto immediately thought of Kurenai-sensei whom it was obvious his sensei, along with the male-half of the village, held a soft spot for – managed to escape a failed mission of high-priority with her life; the kunoichi would be lucky to escape a long-term mission helping rid Fire Country of its many illegal pleasure houses.

Tazuna would simply complete the bridge or they would all die trying. When you were a ninja who was forced to kill and steal for a living, there wasn't much you had to go by besides your word.

There was a saying back in Konoha – one the old man had actually made up years back – that was carved into the memorial stone. _"Embrace your dreams. And, whatever happens, protect your honor as Konoha shinobi!"_

It was a bit morbid when you considered where the quote had been carved, but that was the life of a ninja. Naruto thought he knew the old man well enough, and he wouldn't put it past him doing something that devious to scare away the ones not cutout to be ninja, but he also knew it had a deeper meaning.

You live for the village and you die for the village; when you bleed, so does the village.

Naruto was sure that one line had kept many a nin from drowning their sorrows in a bottle of sake or abandoning the village all together.

Because when the Hokage called on you and said the grandson of some minor lord had to die so Konoha could inherit a piece of land and keep enemy forces out of the Leaf's backyard, you didn't say no, you did your duty and you shelved your own personal code of honor in the name of the village. And when your time came and you had already faded to dust, your name would sit on that monument and all of the dreams you once had would live on in the current ninja serving Konoha.

This _is_ _exactly_ _what those moronic-fucking-idiots in Konoha fail to understand_, Naruto thought viscously._ Treating me like shit is fine, but I'm the Yondaime's living legacy!_

"We'll be there soon." Tazuna's voice cut through the gloomy silence like the crack of a whip.

It wasn't much, but it was about as pleasant of news as they could hope for at the moment. It wasn't cold – it was actually quite warm – but there was an unpleasant chill in the air that only being inside could rid a person of. The kind of chill that came with the knowledge of knowing silent and invisible protectors were watching you, always out of reach but only an arm's length away. Or those times in the wilderness when eyes hid behind bark and bushes, always watching and assessing, judging if you were to be their next meal and the risk was worth the reward to be.

Naruto shuddered in mid-step, drawing wary glances; after all, he had not sent out any more clones. He could almost feel an icy senbon dragging slowly up his spine as a menacing voice whispered promises of dismemberment, decapitation and _failure_.

Smiling awkwardly at the curious eyes watching him, Naruto waved the concern away. Now was certainly not the time for his resolve to crack.

"Let's pick up the pace; we could have eyes on us right now! Besides, Tazuna-jiji needs to rest his dusty old bones if he – Nani?"

The retort had the group – side for Tazuna – readying themselves for a possible fight, though it was nearly the exact opposite of what they expected.

Tazuna's home was nice and about what he expected; a simple two-story with a decent view of the water, though that latter wasn't really saying much, given the surrounding area. Naruto wouldn't doubt Tazuna if the man said he built it himself, and said as much.

Tazuna rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "You saw the bridge, kid. Here in Wave we take care of our own, whether that be problems or people."

Naruto chose not to mention that they – _no_, he corrected himself, _he_ – had brought Wave's problem to Konoha's doorstep and so far it had taken his sensei's hand as an opening fee. The firm grip on his shoulder told him his sensei knew exactly what he was thinking, though it only caused to anger him even more, considering the hand was not the normal one used for cooling his or even Ino's temper; Shikamaru rarely ever used enough energy to muster up anything more than a glare or narrowing of the eyes.

Tazuna stopped at the edge of the walkway that would lead them to the house. "Just thought that I'd mention my daughter Tsunami and her son Inari," he admitted after a moment of silence. "She can be a handful at times but she's a good woman – real caring type, always worrying about everyone." His proud smile slipped momentarily and the replacement hastily plastered on was a fake one Naruto knew all too well. "My grandson Inari is a good kid, but he's been through a lot due to Gatou and his reign of terror. I just wanna apologize ahead of time if he says anything to offend you all."

Naruto pushed pass the man, his fingers interlocked behind his head. "The words of some little brat are the last thing we have to worry about, old man." Though he tried – halfheartedly, at best – he couldn't keep the anger or accusation out of his voice.

Tazuna scratched his head. "I guess all kids can be a little troublesome, eh?"

Shikamaru would have sneezed, but that was obviously just too troublesome.

**IIII**

Entering the house they had been swarmed upon by Tazuna's daughter, Tsunami, and she'd had dinner dished out for them in what seemed like no time at all, as well as some homemade sake for Asuma and Tazuna – none for them, because ninja or not, they were still children in her eyes. She'd managed to cook, clean, catch up on their journey so far and take a look at the wounds suffered while pointing out this and that, allowing them to clean up before the food was served still warm and delicious.

Now, sitting across from the room's youngest occupant, Naruto had his eyes narrowed at the little shit, his dinner – a simple meal of steamed fish along with vegetables and rice – provided by the boy's mother all but forgotten.

"Wanna repeat that?" he spat.

Inari raised his previously bowed head, eyes shadowed by both the hat he wore and the life he'd lived. Naruto did not want to, but he felt a little bad for the kid, as well as a bit of camaraderie in their shared trauma – though Naruto had little clue as to why the kid was going Sasuke on them – but someone in front of him simply drowning in despair was not something easily overlooked. "Gatou is just going to kill you all if you continue standing in his way," he said plainly. "You should run away while you still have the chance."

Naruto ignored the chopsticks snapping in his clenched hand as his face twisted into a mocking smile. "Good to know you have so much faith in us, brat." He turned to Tazuna, smile still in place. "Sorry, but you heard the kid, old man; looks like the big-bad Gatou is going to finish us off and then you!"

He made sure to look back quickly, still barely catching Inari's violent flinch. He'd purposely ignored Tsunami, who had been kind enough to treat his sensei's tender wounds and provide them with a warm meal and comfortable place to stay. But truthfully, a quick death would probably be the preferable way to go for the fairly young and good-looking woman with a man like Gatou after her family. One look at her was all he'd need for death to be the last thing on his mind and she probably knew it too. Just like being close to a ninja, you always feared that dreadful letter telling you he or she was never coming home. Sometimes your death even came first and it came hard, inflicting as much pain as possible on the one's left behind.

Naruto felt his respect for the woman rise. Maybe she could give Ino a few lessons and help her where nobody seemed able. His respect for her didn't stop his mouth from opening and moving in for the killing blow. In the end it was his sensei that stopped him.

"Give it a rest, Naruto," he rumbled, nursing a warm saucer of sake in his only hand. "Let Inari think whatever he wants. The opinions of others have never mattered much to you before this, have they?"

Naruto gave his sensei a dry look. The situation was _so_ not the same, yet he was actually disappointed that wasn't the reason for Inari's doubt in him and his team. The kid really thought some thug was a match for trained Konoha ninja. Looking at him, Naruto simply couldn't understand the thought of giving up hope like the boy apparently had.

It just didn't register with him – couldn't, wouldn't, ever.

He'd been glad when they got the mission because not only was it of higher demand, but it also gave him a chance to finally see the world – one outside of Konoha's reach and taint. One where the opinion of Uzumaki Naruto had not been dragged through the mud.

And now the world was turning out to be just like he'd come to see Konoha and not so pretty, after all. Along with his Asuma's hand he felt just a little more innocence had been shed for them all, but now, it felt like the stranglehold on his hopes and dreams were slithering from around his own neck and tightening on Inari's like the passing of a baton.

If anything, the pressure not to fail felt greater, but he felt…accomplished. Like a meaning for his existence had just been created. Like maybe the loss of Asuma's hand or a new scar gained had a purpose and meaning, and maybe blood spilt – his or not – was actually worth it, no matter the quantity.

Now…now the mission had a real purpose. They sure as hell weren't going to flee because of some missing-nin looking to cash a check and they weren't going to stay just because they had to. Inari–

_Not just Inari_, he corrected himself while gnawing at his lower-lip. _Wave_ needed a hero and they were going to fill that role.

He was a ninja – a young one at that – and perhaps the lines between good and evil had yet to be mixed completely, and he could still see the difference between what was right and wrong, and what was right for the village and what was wrong for the village, because there was a big difference there that some just could not handle. And that part of him buried deep down beneath hours of training and stunted by nasty looks and uglier words knew that _this was it_ – the moment he had always been waiting for, the reason he became a ninja and the stuff dreams were made out of.

You ask ten ninja-to-be at the academy why they keep on coming rain, sleet or snow, training to be a tool for their village that will one day get them killed and you'll get different answers. Some want glory, some want power while others wish to stop being weak and some were even forced, but there will always be one that wanted to be a real hero; wanted to save the family they never got to know, maybe a princess or daimyo they will never get to meet, there will even be some real stupid ones who think they'd be good enough to save the old man if he ever got caught in a pinch by some traitorous missing-nin – ha, that was _his_ job!

On some level, maybe he wanted to be Hokage so he could save Konoha from itself. On some level, maybe he even wanted to thank all of the hateful villagers because thanks to them his spirit was never truly broken, falling away piece by piece while rebuilding itself stronger than before, whereas some – Sasuke came to mind before he could find another example – had their faith shattered in one single, abrupt moment, forever broken and never to return.

Who really knew? One man's trash was another man's treasure and one man's dreams were another man's nightmare.

All he knew was as he sat there in that quiet dining room, breaking bread with a man he'd all but despised hours before, he couldn't help feeling like he owed Tazuna something and he'd never be able to repay the man. Naruto got the feeling the bridge-builder was thinking the exact same thing and S-rank pay or not he would always be in the debt of Konoha.

How did you repay someone that gave you the means to fulfill a dream, intentional or not?

Naruto assumed you did it the same way you thanked someone who took away your dream, intentional or not.

You did it to the best of your abilities and you made absolutely sure nobody could erase the mark left behind, the intent never in question.

With those thoughts, he grabbed a fresh pair of chopsticks and renewed finishing his meal with gusto, ignoring the looks at his complete turnaround. The food had chilled a little, but it still tasted good to him. Home-cooked meals prepared by a hand that was not his were all but a fairy-tale to him, and his younger self would have wept tears of joy at the prospect of having a meal cooked for him in the confines of someone's home and their readily-given hospitality to top it off.

His resolve only grew.

He would personally remove Gatou's head if he even looked at Tazuna and his family the wrong way, and if it came to it, he would learn how to build a bridge with his own bare hands and do so till his hands were raw, because it wasn't just a bridge anymore – maybe it was never _just_ a bridge.

Konoha had the Will of Fire and Iwa liked to spew nonsense about being as unbreakable as the rocks they so loved, but they were both wrong while at the same time right. You could put out a fire and you could crack a rock, the same way you could destroy a bridge. Only difference was you could rebuild that same bridge down to the last brick whereas that fire will never be the same nor will the rock.

But sometimes perfection in rebuilding is not the answer, as scars healed only show character. Maybe that was the beauty held by the Will of Fire; forever burning bright, illuminating the night with the eternal flames of Konoha's youth, generation after generation stoking the flames.

Wave, however, did not possess the Will of Fire – they were a young land that still needed to find theirs – and the bridge would be that pillar of hope, but just as the infant fire needed an ember and someone to tend it, the bridge needed protectors to help it reach a state of influence before change could happen.

Once complete there would be no stopping the revolution and Gatou would be finished, because with resources came strength and with strength eventually came an uprising. Gatou knew this, but he seemed like the typical tyrant and Naruto got the feeling he was measuring every inch and centimeter that bridge gained, waiting for the right moment to swoop in and strike, crushing the bridge along with the hope of every Wave resident watching the events like a hawk. Maybe Gatou would even have the bridge completed to cement his victory; Naruto wouldn't put it past him.

But then again, Gatou was just a small, mean-spirited idiot with a death-wish and sense of self-importance.

They say freedom has a price and a steep one at that. Naruto knew without a flicker of doubt that when the time came, by his hand or not, Gatou was going to pay for Wave's freedom with his life like so many others before him.

**IIII**

**Author's Notes:**

I'm a little torn at how short this chapter was, seeing as nothing really happened towards the mission, but something _did_ happen towards Naruto's growth in this story; it was about time for him to have a gut-check. I have most of next chapter done so it should be out quicker than this one, but it just didn't feel right not ending this chapter on the note it was and continuing on where I have it going next.

You can think of this chapter as the 13th one in the manga where Kakashi gets trapped in the bubble and is all, "Run away, children!" and Naruto gets the shit kicked out of him by Zabuza but is all, "Fuck that, I'm getting my headband back first!"

Also thought I'd start reaching into the more serious side of the Naruto world. It's hinted at here and there, but isn't really gone into in-depth. Naruto is the only story where mass-murderers are redeemed and accepted with open arms under the guise of "character development". I guess this is why I like Fanfiction, considering we can make it as dark or as light as we want and some authors here write the story how it is supposed to be written – with badass ninja who kill for a living.

I look at the actual Naruto story and find myself disappointed in many areas, feeling it could have been better if a more serious route was taken at some points. They turn the enemy into pseudo-allies and nothing is what it seems, but most of the time it is not done in a way I find to my liking. I like how the bad guys are not just psychopaths bent on ruling the world, but there comes a time when a bad guy needs to put his ninja-sandal down and say, "Hey, enough fucking around! I am a very evil bad guy and no amount of talking, tea and teamwork is going to stop me from wanting you dead!"

I guess all I can say is this fic is rated M for a reason. I like my stories – both read and written – to have…grit…is the word that comes to mind. Yeah. I like them to have grit.

Till next time, folks!

_Translation_:

Mayonaka Orchestra – Midnight Orchestra / Orchestra of Midnight


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Notes:**

Sorry for the longer than intended wait for this update. You see, a popup crossed my path and I was forced to write around it, but the popup just kept popping back up! Terribly frustrating, though I suppose it's in its nature.

On another note, I went back to chapter 7 and changed a little bit of Ino that had irked me for some time. When they learn their chakra natures I'd originally had Ino as Water, but now it's Earth while everyone else remains the same; nothing too major. It was really just poor planning on my part when deciding her (Shikamaru too, though his Fire nature had a little more thought to it than Ino's Water did) chakra nature. Water seemed the easy road for me to take at the time and I've since come to realize Earth gives me room for some development. Honestly, her chakra nature always could have been…washed away.

Finally…I always knew Obito was Tobi. I know we're still waiting for pieces to the Tobi puzzle, but I'll admit the manga has had me hooked these past weeks – _months_, really. And last but not least…Bleach 511. That's all I'm going to say. Bleach 511. The end of a legend.

**IIII  
><strong>_**Working Class Hero  
><strong>_**IIII**

Sleep came easy to Naruto – who had been sharing a bedroom with both his lazier of teammates and sensei; Ino had been lucky enough to snag the small bedroom; small, but hers alone – just like waking up eventually had. Perhaps it was due to the draining time they had spent in-between Konoha and their destination, or maybe it had been the revelations made on his own part. It had not been as emotionally taxing as becoming a ninja, dealing with a traitor to the village _and_ learning of the Kyuubi, but it had been tough.

He felt sharper, somehow, sturdier even. Bent but unbroken – _the Unbroken Uzumaki has a nice ring to it_, he thought as he dressed for the day, remembering specifically that his forehead protector was to be kept out of sight.

With a sharp nod he had left his comfortable shelter with their client, ready to face the crisp, morning air and whatever kami saw fit to throw at him. He eventually found himself recalling the words of his sensei as he dutifully followed behind Tazuna and another man they had picked up during their walk to the bridge.

"_In my current condition there is not much I can teach you all,"_ he had said to them, and while they had known it was coming, it still stung a little like hearing you were good, but just _not good enough_. _"With that said, the best option we have for now is making sure we keep our client and his family protected at all times. Now, I believe we have already covered tree-walking…"_

And Asuma had been right, as they had already covered tree-climbing a few weeks before the mission, but they had not all mastered water-walking beforehand and the skill could only help in the area that they were. Naruto had informed his sensei of his mastery, still leaving a clone behind to participate in the drill and exercise with his team as he left to guard the bridge-builder.

At the moment he was the only one truly capable of defending their client to the best of his abilities. Asuma had been positive and as upbeat as a freshly-crippled person could be when the early-morning warm-ups had begun and it had been refreshing to know their team leader had not suddenly lost hope overnight.

"_Don't you worry, because I've got something good prepared for Momo-chan_…"

Naruto had originally thought Asuma too serious upon first training with him, and any relation to the old man only found in their name and – once upon a time – looks, but it had changed and the change was still growing. His sensei was not the old man, but he held the same warmth their Hokage did and Naruto was damn sure he could sell a blind man glasses.

_With enough time I bet he could convince Iwa-scum to get those rocks out of their _–

His thoughts were interrupted when a door sprung open and a middle-aged woman stepped forward, a smile so false it could be spotted miles away. At least, for Naruto it could.

"I'm very sorry, Tazuna-san, but Reno-kun will be unable to join you today. Please forgive him for any oaths broken and do not think too harshly – he is still young."

She gave a half-hearted bow then the door was quickly closed before a reply could be made and Naruto noticed, with a frown, a red-haired teenager peeking at them from behind parted curtains before they too snapped shut.

"Well," said Tazuna with false cheer, "it looks like we're going to be a man down today."

Three more stops of similar nature were made, yet the group had not gained another member. One of the women answering the door had given Tazuna the dirtiest look Naruto ever witnessed – and he had seen some nasty ones aimed his particular way – before slamming it shut without a word. Another had tearfully told them like it was, offering them each a breakfast roll and politely asking them to leave before their presences drew unwanted criticism and attention.

They were terrified.

They never said Gatou's name, but it might as well have been painted in blood along the sides of their houses for all to see.

Naruto sourly tossed the roll to the only person – Giichi, his name was – traveling with him and Tazuna. "How are you going to finish this bridge with nobody helping, old man?" he demanded.

Tazuna didn't look back as he kept walking, nor did he falter when answering. "I'll keep working till my hands are bloody, feet are blistered and the bridge is done," he said with no hesitation.

Naruto felt a grin spreading on his face as he strode forward and slapped the man on his broad back. "You know I can number anywhere from one to a thousand, yeah? Now, I don't happen to know much about building bridges, but I can carry stuff as good as the next guy!"

Tazuna squinted at him from behind weather-worn glasses. "What's your price, kid?" He shook his head and kept walking, no longer looking at Naruto. "You don't need to do this and I would rather have your thoughts focused where they're best suited."

The unspoken 'killing people' hung in the air.

Naruto shrugged as he fingered a small hole marring his otherwise perfect jacket; he would need to have a tailor – or Ino, who was quite skilled with a needle – look at it. "We'll be here until that bridge is safe and sound, so the faster it gets done the better for us, right? Unless, of course, you plan on paying us by the hour…" At the builder's incredulous look Naruto plowed forward, "and anyhow, the clones I create will have little effect on my duty to protect you – if anything I'll make them patrol the area whether you use them to help with manual labor or not."

The scratching of a beard – eerily similar to the lone Sarutobi in Wave – answered him. "I suppose you could do some carrying and mixing, as long as you stay out of the way and follow instructions," he said offhandedly. "Save us some time by picking up lunch, too," he added, mumbling to himself. "Sound good, kid?"

"Sure does, old man!"

**IIII**

Naruto should have known helping in the construction of a bridge – if his work could even be called that – was not going to be exciting stuff. His mind simply did not want to…believe it.

Not only was there only so much work he and his clones could help with, but he was quite literally left with his feet dangling over the side of the bridge, bored out of his mind watching the occasional cargo ship pass by.

_I wouldn't mind a nice spar with Zabuza or his handler right about now; or a nice hot bowl of miso-ramen with some pork on the side, maybe even some_…

Naruto would have elaborated further but a stray rock caught him right in the face. The ballsy clone looking back at him did not quell under his ferocious glare, nor did it explode like he had been hoping for. _Wrong type of clone_, he thought bitterly.

"I've been calling you for a while now," it said with a carefree shrug. "Boss wanted you to go pick up lunch – apparently didn't trust any of us with the food."

Naruto accepted the words with a slow shake of the head. "He does know you're all me, right?"

The clone shrugged again. "Maybe he didn't want one of us to pop on a stray corner while carrying his lunch? How am I supposed to know, my creator isn't that smart after all."

Naruto backhanded his mouthy clone and waved a farewell to Tazuna in one smooth motion as he made his way back towards the heart of the city.

Walking through the streets he was a little surprised he hadn't noticed just how _bad_ the area looked. It made the nastier parts of Konoha – the parts conveniently left out of the brochures – seem like the kinds of places you planned a trip to when compared with the sights before him. He was a ninja in the service of Konoha, and knew he would probably see and do some shady things in his time, but just seeing little kids begging for mere scraps of food brought up memories too painful to think about.

Memories of the earlier days, when going to bed after eating what was left of rationed down instant ramen was the norm, pulled at him.

It tugged at his heart and he wished he could do more, but duty called in the name of gathering lunch for those tasked with building hope. The only consolation he allowed himself was the fact that the vendors did not despise the little ones asking for food and he actually spotted a few caving to the younger children here and there. Although not everyone in the market was as generous

It was honestly surprising just how bustling and crowded the place was with such obvious poverty, even while a rather robust man chanted over and over, seemingly completely oblivious to his surroundings, "Anything you need you can find it at the market!"

He no longer wished Momochi Zabuza dead for what he had done, but for the name it was done in, yet still did the fleeting jealousy he felt at hungry children being fed – when he had never experienced that type of kindness – disgust him more than the growing hatred he felt for the one responsible for it all. Logically – _imagine that!_ – he knew being jealous at those _lucky_ enough to succeed where he had failed was idiotic, but still, old wounds dug deep.

It was sort of like the way everything Sasuke did seemed to annoy him. Kami help him if Sasuke ever managed to unlock the mighty sharingan and make his ninja career that much easier and prolific.

_The bastard will probably even manage to unlock a higher level of it – maybe he'll even start spewing fire right from his eyes!_

Naruto snorted; like that would ever happen…

Entering their current base of operations – Tazuna's house – he had no words of encouragement for his teammates eating at the table or his sensei idly skimming through a book. He briefly noticed Inari was not at the table but thought little of it. Maybe the moody little boy was out for a walk.

He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Pops sent me back to grab lunch," he admitted to Tsunami.

She nodded and went about filling a few containers with leftovers from the lunch of those present before stopping short as she was about to make another. "How many?" she asked quietly with her back to him.

Naruto coughed in confusion, glancing at his teammates only to receive shrugs. "I'm sorry?"

"How many people showed up today?" she elaborated, hand still frozen.

He thought about it for a moment and the number lodged on the tip of his tongue did not sound like the right one, yet it was. "Including me and the old man, only four others are there."

Her shoulders sagged and a soft sigh escaped her as she went about bagging the meals for him. "I do this every time," she muttered and Naruto frowned, confused. When she turned and handed them to him there was a sad smile tugging at her lips. "The pay isn't much, so we try and feed some of the workers, too, when we can," she admitted with a swish of navy hair. "Some worked just for that meal what with the prices of food, but now that isn't even worth it to some – the risk is too high, they say."

Naruto felt his frown deepening and nodded, testing the weight of the bag in his hand as he tested the weight of her words in his head. It would have been hard not to notice the nearly dozen bento-boxes inside of the bag.

"Eh?" He frowned and scratched at his head. "This is more than enough."

"I know." She sighed that defeated sigh again and paused in the cleaning she had returned to. "Would you believe me if I said there was once over fifty people working on that bridge?" She shook her head and spoke without waiting for an answer. "When my father traveled to Konoha for help he left Giichi – his second-in-command for all intents and purposes – at the reigns. Second day my father was gone he lost several more workers without explanation and now it looks like he may end up having to complete it on his own. We should consider ourselves lucky the bridge wasn't torn down while he was away."

"Alright then," he heard himself muttering. "You're sure we don't need –"

She had turned and there was a real smile on her face – a sad, knowing smile; the kind Ayame used to give him when the glares would become just too much for a little boy to shoulder. "Do whatever you like with those extra boxes. If I could, I would feed them all, but this is the world we live in and we have to do our best with the tools provided. My father is building a bridge and I'm making lunch."

She patted him on the head then – not patronizingly or unkindly, but fondly – and went back to cleaning. Naruto left with a nod of understanding.

When he later found himself passing out the meals to Tazuna and the few still working on the bridge, he finished quickly and made a hasty getaway back the path he had come leaving only a mumbled reply in answer.

With four extra lunches, he went about doing what he had yearned for as a child and still did somewhat: someone that cared enough about him to sacrifice anything they could offer – food, kind words, time, _anything_.

The old man had done so for him, shelving important paperwork just to spend some time with another lost, lonely orphan. The Ichiraku family had also done the same for him, likely even losing potential customers when he was spotted.

In a way, it was odd.

Guilt probably had the old man making time for him in his busy schedule and guilt had him eating – though he really did love their food as well as company – at the Ichiraku's stand whenever the opportunity presented itself.

Given the circumstances he had to be discreet about what he'd done, as he knew shouting "Free food!" in the middle of a starving city was not the best route to go for several reasons. One: he did not need attention be it positive or negative, which was the main reason behind his hair falling free with no headband to identify him as a ninja of Konoha. Two: he did not want to hurt starving children desperate enough to attack him thinking they could best him and he did not want to see those given food fall prey to those not lucky enough. Lastly…he didn't think he had the heart to create such hope in so many just to replace it with crushing disappointment moments later.

The lunches were quite stuffed and though he knew a hungry child could easily put all the offered food away, he made sure to spread the wealth between a few smaller packs milling about: a group of three with the same honey-colored hair and the eldest no older than ten, a pair of red-haired girls that barely reached his chin and finally a worn looking mother, dragging her little girl from stall to stall.

When he finally sat down in a woodsy clearing not too far off the beaten path, he had a genuine smile on his face for what felt the like the first time in far too long.

Pulling the top of his still-warm lunch, he unsheathed a pair of chopsticks and gathered up some of the sticky rice before devouring it with gusto. He knew it wouldn't be too long and ate patiently, waiting for the snap or a twig or rustle of grass to alert him.

His wait was not very long.

"You can come out now," he said around a piece of steamed fish.

Inari greeted him not long after, his face puckered and pinched as he fought hard against the waterworks to come. Naruto was all too familiar with the look Inari wore.

"Come on," he called, beckoning him closer with the wooden utensils, "there's enough for the both of us – your mom sure is a generous cook."

Inari stumbled forwards his movement hindered by the landscape as well as his trembling form. When he finally shuffled onto the wooden log alongside Naruto, the proverbial dam broke and a sob tore its way from his throat.

Naruto sighed around another morsel of fish and gingerly reached out to pat the boy on his shoulder. "I use the cry all the time, too," he admitted, putting the lunch down.

"Re…really?" the boy whimpered.

"Sure did. Wanna know what made me stop?" At Inari's nod, Naruto gave him a sardonic grin. "Nobody cared if _I_ cried."

"What about your –"

"Orphan," Naruto cut across swiftly, before adding, "and resident village pariah."

"How come you –"

"That's for another time," Naruto interrupted again, smiling at the pout Inari wore. "Here," he said, picking up the forgotten lunch and handing it to Inari with another pair of chopsticks, "eat."

"Thank you," he murmured before tucking in.

Naruto laced his fingers together and leaned back. "I'm not very liked in Konoha and there doesn't seem to be anything capable of changing this." He was surprised by the pain the truthful words brought _him_. "So for a while all I did was cry and cry, until I realized that would change nothing, too. And then I joined the academy and hoped by becoming a really powerful ninja that would protect the village against anything they would love me, and you know what happened?"

"No."

_Of course he doesn't know_, Naruto thought. "For a while nothing changed for the better," he admitted. "The same people that looked at me with cold, unforgiving eyes now looked at me mockingly, praying for my failure and downfall – like it was all one, big joke to them. You know what I did?" He did not wait for an answer. "I began to hate them all – the villagers, the ninja, all of them – except for the Hokage who always treated me fairly, and one day, when he asked me how I felt, I told him so – I told him I wanted to become Hokage and make them see how wrong they were, make them pay. You know what he said to me?" At his shake, Naruto continued on, "He said, 'I will not fault you for your reasons and I will not stop you in your quest to become Hokage, but I will do my very best to help change your ideals.' You know what happened next?"

Inari nodded, placing the chopsticks and empty boxed-lunch on the ground. "You cried."

"I cried like a baby," said Naruto shamelessly. "He looked _so_ sad, but he wouldn't try and deny me my dream. I decided then and there I wouldn't be a Hokage that was feared, I would be a Hokage just like him or I wouldn't be a Hokage at all." Naruto stood and turned to Inari. "The reason you cry – you've lost someone important to you." It wasn't a question. "Just think, 'would he want me to cry all the time – would he want me to be scared?'"

"No," said Inari quietly.

Naruto's face morphed into a grin, eyes nearly squeezed shut. "We have to make those people important to us proud, whether they're dead or alive."

"I will!" said Inari with conviction, standing so he was nearly level with Naruto and practically daring Naruto to doubt his claim.

He clapped him on the shoulder. "I believe you, Inari, now you just have to believe in my team and your grandfather."

"I will!" he repeated, nodding fiercely, before adding quietly. "And…thank you for telling me this."

Struck by an odd sense of deja vu, Naruto knew just what he had to do next, and it had been a long time coming.

_Abandon your fear_, he thought. _Move forward and never stop – you'll die if you hesitate._

**IIII**

That night, together with his team, gathered around a warm campfire, Naruto told them all a scary story – _my life story_.

It was a riveting tale with no shortage of blood, filled with village betrayal and capital punishment that spoke of sacrifice and hope. At the centerfold was a monster fox bent on destroying the village and a ragtag group of salamanders tasked with making sure a jailor turned wannabe Hokage didn't die before his time had come and theirs had passed by.

Naruto couldn't have made it up if he tried.

"This is so troublesome I'm not even going to begin explaining just how troublesome it is," Shikamaru grumbled, "but this does give me a few good ideas."

Their sensei flicked what was left of his cancer-stick into the dying fire and cast them all a grin, "About time we did some team strategizing! Whatta ya got, Shika?"

**IIII**

**Author's Notes:**

Yes, the Kyuubi and Salamander reveal just happened to the team. We'll go a little more into that later, but the revelation is more important plot and mission-wise, rather then emotionally and such – don't worry, no one despises Naruto for being the Kyuubi's jailor. That being said, the entire reveal and strategizing hinted at plays an important part in the ending of this mission which is why – for the sake of the story – I chose not to have the conversation happen "on screen." I have the blueprint laid out and I'm a little giddy at the reactions to come when I get around to posting those scenes, to be honest.

Also, I know I've _kinda_ given Sasuke some shit in a few chapters, but I am not bashing him and these are just Naruto's thoughts. Remember, while he is a ninja, he is still just a boy entering his teens jealous of another boy. However, while most children find themselves wishing they had a toy someone else had, Naruto finds that he is envying the village's love and overall support Sasuke was given where he received it from only a select few.

I am not bashing Sasuke – I quite like him and the Uchiha as a whole (Tobi's my boy!) and understand why he is an evil dick now – but while I mentioned liking my stories with grit, I also do my best to keep them as realistic as possible, whether that be by not bashing characters in idiotic ways (Sasuke suddenly wants Naruto's spot on the team and it takes Naruto giving Sasuke a ridiculous beat-down in front of half the village who are calling for the last Uchiha to defeat the Kyuubi-brat for him to walk away), not making someone OP (at least until the Akatsuki rolls around and being OP means _surviving_).

Now I'm just ranting about bashing…I mean, honestly, people put there will be character bashing in their story summaries? Srsly?

Let me stop now. Also, unless some crazy idea pops into my head, next chapter will likely introduce Haku to Naruto and the gang.

Again, my bad on another long chapter wait. I'll try and get the next one out before 2013 – also, who shall be the 777th review?!

Till next time, folks!


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Notes:**

I find it funny, looking back to see me talking about MW3 a few chapters back – that was over a year ago! Time truly flies…

I did some Photoshop magic to make a little 'cover' for this story. It's just a clipart salamander I found on the web with a leaf headband I put on his left arm like Shikamaru has his. You can see it better if you click the picture. I think it's kinda cute. I was going to put it over the eye like Kakashi but in the end changed my mind. As if I would ever let a one-eyed salamander represent this story.

Congratulations to 'Zaralannfor' for being the 777th review of this story!

I must say, I was pretty blown away by 613 and the apparent death of Inoichi and Shikaku and damn, Shikaku went out like a _boss_. I almost got a little emotional on the last panel with Ino and Shikamaru.

And finally, onto the 12th chapter on the 12th day of the 12th month of the 12th year 2,000 has to offer! I did not plan this, but when I saw the opportunity arise it was too good of an opportunity to pass up. And yes, I did post the story at 12:12 eastern time.

**IIII  
><strong>_**The Sound of Revenge  
><strong>_**IIII**

He awoke to the sound of chopping – soft, quiet sounds of a knife repeatedly meeting wood, slicing and dicing – and an aimless, gentle humming. Slight movement of his extremities came back to him but it was sluggish and his eyes did not wish to open, but he forced them so through sheer willpower, wincing as he did. A sliver of sunlight was pouring through a small crack in the shades, the sharp brightness of it slapping him in the face where he lay all-but-helpless. He felt sorer than ever before and he smelled of sweat and of blood – his blood.

_I must have fallen asleep_, he realized belatedly. He would not even consider the thought that he had fainted – decapitation for the foolish man that dare suggest it.

The room was blurred but soon came into focus and he was not surprised to see the boy working away at an old wooden table, a cleaver in his hand as he cut to pieces what looked like peaches. The boy had good form and not for the first time he considered teaching him how to properly wield a man's weapon – _honestly, it's truly disgraceful for a man to use senbon_, he thought, sneering.

He cast aside the sheet covering his chest and raised himself into a sitting position, snarling at the aches and throbbing pain seemingly shooting through his entire front. The boy turned at his noise and was at his side at once, tending to the ravaged flesh that lay beneath his bloody bandages.

_Blood_…

_For a time, it was all I knew_, he reminisced, almost fondly.

Before the child, it had been the one true constant in his life that grounded him to reality. As a shinobi of unparalleled skill, he bathed in both the salty water of the sea and saltier blood of foe and friend alike.

And in the village titled 'Bloody Mist,' a friend could turn foe in the blink of an eye.

A man in his position had seen it more than once – lived the change himself, too, when the guillotine came calling for his own head. There was the before: sitting around a campfire, sharing a drink or a meal – and then the reveal: the accidental freezing of a glass of water, a pale white bone breaking skin for a moment, the sudden, _unnatural_ flashing of eyes – and then came the silence: the bone chilling silence of a life-altering revelation was first, and in his memories it always seemed as though time had stopped.

After the silence came the action – fight or flight. Instinct took over, and in that fleeting moment, most learned more about the one in question than they knew all their life – who was a king thirsting for battle and who was craven, cowering behind better men. Most times it happened so quick – the end so violently sudden and _red_ – it was over in less than a minute, the shocked silence quickly morphing into one of mourning which gradually faded into numbness, a numbness that was born from years of following orders in obedient silence, never questioning the monster that gave you the orders and filled those bloody hands of yours with even bloodier money.

And it was always bloody – your life, your career, and _especially_ your death. _Live fast die hard_, was a code they lived by.

_And I have come full circle_, he thought, watching as the boy – a boy, who, under his previous orders, would be put to the sword, his executioner's blade specifically – prodded at his raw, tender wounds with a gentle hand he should probably chide the boy for. He was too soft, he knew, yet he could not bring himself to curse the child. He had lived a long – long, by many a nins standards – hard life, and the boy before him was now his soft pillow, herding him gently into oblivion. Ever since meeting the boy he had begun to question things in life, for better or worse.

Once upon a time it had been his duty to remove the heads of those deemed traitors to his village, and he had done it well. A traitor being anything from a comrade speaking out of turn to their Lord or a simple girl not nearly a woman grown being born in the wrong village, at the wrong time, with the wrong blood flowing in her veins.

_Just like the boy_…

Perhaps in another life, in a world not ravaged by the militaristic culture that they lived in and had nothing to do with shinobi and their wars, the boy would have been his village's healer, mixing herbs and creating tonics for its residents – maybe he would even take care of sick and injured animals as well, when he had the time to spare, which he did not doubt the boy would create, if need be. He would probably like that, if the snow white rabbit he carried around was anything to go by.

"I will need to return to the market," he said quietly, his voice filled with worry. He bit his lip then, hands folded rigid in his lap, fighting the urge to fidget it would seem. "The wounds do not seem to be healing properly."

_Of course they aren't healing_, he wanted to snap, but held his silence for the time being – there was no use worrying him, which his words undoubtedly would; he was not one to mince anything other than people. Perhaps the boy did not know it, but this was not the first time Momochi Zabuza had seen the horrible power of a jinchuuriki. _What are the odds I would meet one again – and on the final mission before my return, if I were to believe Gatou's promises, that is?_

Thinking of the short, blond haired boy was painful in more ways than one, as were his longing thoughts of the war-ravaged place he still liked to call home. And Gatou _would_ make due on his promises, Zabuza would see to it, whether the fat little man lived to see his money put to good use or not.

He longed to see the waters of his homeland before his days were done, and if he managed to put an end to the rebellion he helped spark, it was all the better. _In my dreams I kill him every night_ _and in my nightmares the purges continue without pause, like the assembly line of a slaughterhouse_.

After a moment, however, another thought struck him as the boy began applying a salve to his bruised body.

_This foolish child truly cares for me – have I come to do the same?_ he thought, and the urge to cackle madly at the idea of _truly_ caring about another human being was not there. Instead, gentle warmth drove away the coldness seeping into his bones as the boy's surgical fingers worked efficiently. _Talk about irony_.

Had he not found, and subsequently fed that starved little boy all those years ago, perhaps he would have been ruthlessly cut down by the monster Yagura with none to mourn his loss – or, without the thought of poor little Haku all alone, he may have fought with the spirit of a man with nothing to lose and struck him down.

_He will be my demise_, he thought, _and after living the life I have, I cannot bring myself to care_…

"Fear not, Haku," he rasped, tugging at the fresh bandages binding his waist tighter – the stinging pain brought clarity to him and cleansed him the sluggishness threatening to engulf him again, "for the day I die, it shall be with steel in my hand and in my heart – not on some sickbed after retreating like a coward."

Fear cut deeper than the sharpest blade – it was a lesson learned through trial and tribulation, one that only those truly worthy of calling themselves shinobi would learn. He was still fresh after properly _handling_ the whelp of the Shinobi no Kami, yet once he had felt the sinister chakra he knew could only be one thing, the battle was all but decided. The oppressive wave of carnage and malice had zeroed in on him like a bull's-eye and he knew a lesser man would have been slain without raising a hand in his own defense.

_Facing true demons, I have fled twice_. Shame washed over him and his hand clenched into a fist, nails biting into flesh. _I shall not flee again_…

**IIII**

Thrust – _not too rough_…

Pull – _the key is getting just the right amount of friction when withdrawing_…

Pleasured sigh – _a guy sure could get used to this_…

Repeat – _sensei said repetition is the key_…

A rude noise tumbled from the back of Ino's throat. When he stopped halfway through another thrust she grunted and said, "You're almost as bad as sensei."

Naruto shook his head and ignored her, continuing his ministrations whether she liked it or not.

The kunai slid smoothly across the small whetstone, gleaming bright and fierce in the sun's morning rays. Turning the all-purpose tool over, he dragged it once more, bringing the blades opposite side a dangerous edge to match its counterpart. Raising the weapon to eye-level, he inspected it for any nicks he may have missed with a small, satisfied grin.

_One down_, Naruto thought, triumphant in his small victory.

Pocketing the weapon, Naruto turned to his blonde teammate, only to find Ino inspecting her nails, legs dangling airily off the side of the incomplete bridge. "You should probably make sure all of your equipment is ready to go, too."

She flashed him a winning grin of all white teeth. "A lady is always prepared for any given situation," she quipped, her grin quickly morphing into something _else_, "but I must say, Naruto, your equipment sure does look…_sturdy_."

Flushing brilliantly, Naruto turned his attention back to the arsenal of kunai at his disposal, quickly finding another to keep himself busy with. "Stop being such a tease, Ino," he muttered.

"We all have our weapons, Naruto." Intently focused on the kunai in hand, he could not see her, but the smile could still be heard in her sultry voice.

"So this is a spar?" he inquired, checking the plucked kunai for any significant damage. A red-turned-brown stain clung to the small piece of previously-white tape wrapped around the handle and Naruto wondered if it was bad karma holding on to something as insignificant as a kunai previously used to end a man's life. Perhaps some of the vets back in Konoha all did, breaking them out on occasion when telling their old time stories over some sake.

_Maybe some have lucky kunai that managed to save them in a tough spot_, he thought. _Maybe some are even from the Kyuubi_ –

He strangled that thought with prejudice. He had revealed his deepest, darkest secrets to the few he trusted above most others and come out intact – emotionally and physically. Shikamaru – the damn genius that he was – had actually deduced he was the Kyuubi's jailor weeks prior with some careful prodding of their sensei and his parents. Ino, on the other hand, had been shockingly quiet and withdrawn – _guilty_, if Naruto didn't know any better – until the pair reached the unfinished bridge with its builder, the next day.

In the revelation that the mighty Kyuubi – legendary destroyer of villages and devourer of men and women alike – was most definitely not dead and actually residing within his belly, the fact that he held something as mundane as a summoning contract slipped by without much notice, though Asuma had nodded thoughtfully, as if he too had already known beforehand.

_Dokueki will be disappointed_, Naruto thought glumly. _We put a lot of effort and practice into that story for when the right moment came along…_

His inner-debating came to an end as Ino suddenly shuffled closer and he grew warier at once. "Think of my wit and…_appeal_…as a kunai, and you – well you, right now – are my whetstone." Her leg – creamy skim unblemished by any hair whereas his remained unshaven and rough like a man's – brushed faintly against his and his motions came to a sudden halt. "You know, grinding and sliding against each other all hot and wet…"

The kunai fell from one slackened hand and the whetstone his other, Ino's throaty laughter spiraling around them all as Naruto buried his burning face into newly freed hands.

"Stop flirting, you two!" Tazuna turned towards the pair to bellow, Inari trailing behind him with a clipboard in hand while the hardhat perched atop his head wobbled haphazardly, as though it would not survive a strong wind.

Naruto chortled freely while Ino hid her mirth behind the protection of a hand, his embarrassment momentarily forgotten at Inari's sake. Suddenly finding himself at the center of attention, the little boy's cheeks lit up like a lobster dumped in a pot of boiling water as he quickly scrambled after his grandfather, putting as much distance as possible between himself and the pair of sniggering ninja.

Naruto was glad to see the kid doing something other than moping around and worrying his mother and grandfather to death with his chronic depression. It just wasn't healthy.

"I haven't seen you laugh like that in a while," Ino noted, when the laughter finally faded.

_And here it is_, he thought grimly, schooling his face like he had done before, so many other times.

Naruto glanced briefly at Ino, noticing her perfectly-kept brows furrowed deep in thought. "Maybe you never really looked," he commented, trying to keep the heat out of his voice. "People fear what they don't understand and ignore what doesn't deserve their fear."

Her pretty face collapsed like a house of cards. "I don't fear you, Naruto," she whispered.

He nodded, getting right to the heart of it – best to be quick about it. "You just chose to ignore me like nearly all the others, disregarding me as I was just a worthless orphan not worth your precious time – time that could have been spent chasing after _Sasuke-kun_." The bitterness in his voice was not directed entirely at her – he _hoped_ she knew this – but she was right _there_.

…And yet the thought that he was doing to her – _Ino_, he reminded himself with the mental equivalent of a rough shake – what the people of Konoha had done to him, shamed him more than the Sandaime had done those many years ago.

She turned away from him. "We were just kids," she said, barely above a whisper, though he heard her easily above the crashing waves below them.

For a moment, he wondered it that was his curse to bear in containing the Kyuubi, for he had yet to find any other than loneliness and solitude: hearing what is not meant to be heard – literally and figuratively – or living beyond things he ought not to survive.

He shook his head to himself as he stood. When the time came he would speak with the beast and they would have words, but now was not the time. Forcing a smile and hoping it looked as genuine as the feeling in heart was, he extended a hand to Ino. "That's why I have already forgiven you."

**IIII**

Stuffing both hands deep into his pockets, Naruto shuddered.

There was a nip in the air that felt almost unnatural – a cold wind steadily rising as time went on, in sharp, sudden bursts it would seem. The rain clouds looming overhead with the promise of a downpour did not help.

"Does this place always look so _grim_?" Ino pondered aloud, twirling a daisy in her hand before bringing the delicate flower to her nose and taking a deep whiff. She cast it away after a moment, the flower landing atop several others that had been plucked in an empty container that once held their lunch – the bright and colorful flowers laid a sharp contrast against their gloomy surroundings.

Naruto gave a halfhearted shrug and removed a hand from within his pocket to dishevel the hair of a small, brown haired boy by the name of Raito who quickly scurried away, boxed lunch in hand. "So far, from what I've seen?" he responded, musing over her words. "Yes," he said after a moment, "and this shitty weather isn't helping either."

She shook her head. "My admittedly low opinion of Tazuna keeps rising," she said dryly. Naruto snorted, his eyes now scanning the crowded streets they stood to the side of as Ino spoke again. "For a drunk, he has his priorities set straight, I'll give him that much. Most men would break under that kind of pressure –" she tore apart a weed in her hand, "– but not the gallant bridge-builder Tazuna!"

Naruto thought much the same. Most men would crack or bow down to the mounting pressure – that much was obvious, given the recent decrease in able men working on the bridge – but not their employer.

"Have you _finally_ managed to collect enough flowers yet?" Naruto asked, quickly trying to do a rough count of the daises. The humble garden that Ino helped Tsunami tend to did not possess anything other than the greens used in her cooking – the odd herb for seasoning, a few vegetables here and there – but Ino was having none of that. She would see a proper garden in the works before they left Wave. "As much as I like playing with the kids –" he ignored her snort, "– I don't like being around all these people we know nothing about."

"I suppose I have," she sighed, gazing longingly at an untouched patch of flowers Naruto could not put a name to.

Discarding whatever they no longer had any need for, the pair began making their way back towards the bridge. Lunch was soon to be over and even though Tazuna had been the one to cheat them, he still liked to complain as though he was the one being shorted horribly. Never mind Naruto had dozens of clones helping work alongside what little crew he had left.

"What do you think sensei and Shika are drawing up?" Ino asked as they began weaving their way through the crowded streets.

"No idea," he muttered as outlandish and heroic ideas quickly began drifting through his head, each one grander than the one before. "Maybe they'll have me infiltrate Gatou's organization under the guise of a peasant farmer, and under the cover of night while they sleep soundly and comfortably in their beds, I'll assassinate all of his forces one-by-one!" He nodded to himself; if anyone could get this most daring of jobs done, he was the man. "Sounds about right doesn't it – hey, what're you doing?" he demanded, indignant that Ino was nowhere to be seen and definitely not in hearing range of his tale.

Ino pranced back over, a white flower held delicately between her fingers and a sheepish look on her face. On closer inspection, however, he noticed thin blue veins running throughout the flower as well as a total of five petals, each one's tip shaded a vivid blue. "Nemophila maculata," she intoned, a sad smile resting upon her face. "Father told me this used to be mother's favorite flower."

Naruto frowned at left being out of the loop – he didn't know the name of Ino's mother or what she even looked like. "What happened to –"

"Another time," she said briskly, her sea green eyes flashing like a raiton technique. She calmed after a moment. "He told me this is supposed to be good luck, too." She smiled then. "I think I'll have this one pressed when we return to Konoha."

Naruto snorted as they began walking again. "I can see what you mean by good luck," he said, chuckling darkly.

"How so?" she asked, curious.

"Easy," he replied. "You see, there are five petals – one for each of our hands; two for me, two for Shika and one for sensei."

"That's just plain stupid – and what about me?" she demanded.

Naruto waved a hand dismissively. "You found the flower so you don't count." He stopped after a moment. "Actually, you do. You're the stem," he decided, grinning.

Ino frowned, clearly not liking being considered to a stem but nodded after a moment, resigned. "I guess you're right," she conceded. "I do tend to hold this team together. Without me we'd fall apart."

"Nope," he said, grin widening. "You always seem to have your head buried in the dirt!"

When she did not have witty retort, for a moment, Naruto wondered if he had genuinely hurt her feelings and an apology found itself resting on the tip of his tongue. And then he saw just what had made her silent.

She clucked her tongue disapprovingly. "Poor thing just wants some medicine for their sick father and the bastard's prices are positively foul."

Naruto shook his head, eying the pink-clad girl appreciatively. "Some of the people here have no shame."

"– if you need it so badly, make it yourself!" he roared.

"I would," she snarled back, "but I don't have that much time!"

The man swelled importantly at her words. Naruto, on the other hand, tugged his jacket a little tighter at the return of the nip in the air. _Where the hell was it coming from?_

"Well it seems you have a problem, missy." He gave her an undisguised leer. "Spend the night with me and come morning I may have what you so desperately seek."

"That's disgusting," Ino muttered and Naruto had to agree. Truly shameful for a man to suggest a think with such a young and pretty –

The dark haired girl flushed, enraged. "I'm a boy!"

Naruto saw the man pale as he choked on spittle – Naruto wondered what his own face must look like. "Get – get away from here you little freak!"

"And that's what you get for calling me stupid," said Ino gleefully, prancing off towards the _boy_.

Naruto's head still felt foggy. _And to think, for a moment there I thought she – he, not a she! – was prettier than Ino! Good thing I kept that thought all to myself_…

"– sorry about your father," she was saying to the boy. "I myself am something of an expert when it comes to plant life and could be of some assistance to you."

"That's fine," he said in a quiet, polite voice that was nothing like the one he had previously been using – _like night and day, just like his gender-swapping,_ Naruto thought. "I simply do not possess the required amount of time to create the items I require, ingredients aside."

Ino was tapping her foot impatiently when he reached them. "I could still help you out," she pressed on. "Make that pig back there see reason."

Naruto held the unnamed boy's eye when it caught his, watching him curiously for he wore an extremely guilty look whenever looking at Ino. When their eyes met, however, there was a simmering rage deep in those dark, polite pools. "I wouldn't want to impose upon you and your friend."

Ino waved a hand through the air as if it settled the discussion and Naruto knew she was going to do whatever her heart desired whether they liked it or not. "Just you wait and see – come back to the stall in ten minutes. Naruto, let's go."

She turned without waiting for his answer and Naruto followed obediently, casting one final look at the strange boy.

"I don't like him," he said, when they were safely out of his hearing range.

"That's just because you made a fool out of yourself and none was there to laugh."

He pouted. "Still," he insisted, "he seems a bit…off."

"What do you expect, huh? His father is likely dying!"

"Whatever," he grumbled. "What do you plan on doing?" he suddenly asked, dreading the answer. "You aren't going to – to – _you know_…"

She slapped him on the arm. "That's gross!"

He was still rubbing his stinging bicep, relived, when they made it to the stand. The people filling the streets were pointedly ignoring the man and his shout of sales and deals as he and Ino came into sight. He was worriedly stroking his large, forked beard with even thicker fingers. The oily grin he previously wore returned, full blast, barely so much as offering him a look when he took notice, particularly at Ino.

"Hello there, little lady, how may the great Ko be of assistance?"

Ino toyed with the edge of her skirt, eyes downcast as if afraid to meet his eyes – that was not very Ino-like. "I heard that boy asking you about medicine," she admitted, "and my daddy needs medicine for his hand." She looked up then, eyes shining bright and seemingly quivering. "I'll do _anything_ for it."

Naruto, who had heard her use the exact same tone before, was able to resist flushing, but the man before him, who had not, flushed an obnoxious shade of red, his jowls quivering in what Naruto could only assume was delight.

Instead of blushing like virgin maid, however, Naruto saw red. "Ino!" he barked. "You said –"

"Shut up, Naruto," she snapped, turning away from him. "Please, show me your stores so I might see what I'm buying." She was shy and demure again and Naruto's head felt like it was spinning.

"Very well, Ino-hime," he said, quickly offering his arm which was politely refused – Naruto could not hold forth his vindictive snigger. He turned his beady little eyes on Naruto for the first time, then. "Go on home, _little boy_." His voice was patronizing with a self-satisfied lilt to it and Naruto wondered if he could kill the man and dispose his body without anyone pointing a finger at him.

Ino cast him a reassuring smile and followed him into the hideous looking shack a few feet off that held his wares.

_I could do it_, he thought with certainty as the foreboding metal door grinded to a close. _No one would miss him either – I'd be doing this place a service in killing a pervert like him, preying upon girls like that! I could drown him with a water technique, burn the body to ashes with a fire technique and scatter the ashes with a wind technique…_

He was furiously grinding his teeth when a gentle hand suddenly touched his shoulder. When he turned, his plans did not cease.

"This is your fault and if he hurts her, I'll kill you for it." The words were held no room for argument.

The androgynous looking boy wore a small smile. "I could say the very same to you, my friend."

He shrugged off the hand and words – both were polite and held a frosty courtesy that rubbed him the wrong way; a blanket of snow still left you freezing, he looked at it. "What's your name?" he demanded.

"Haku," he replied, not missing a beat – an offering, Naruto took it as: a token of goodwill. "And you are Naruto, yes?"

Naruto's reply was an affirmative grunt. _Damn Ino for letting my name slip and putting me at a disadvantage! Now the little prick's trying to play nice!_

The silence that followed was tense and…chilling. No polite conversation was made and Naruto was glad for it. He didn't want to make friends with a potential enemy – you never know who you may have to kill one day.

When then metal door began shrieking its way open, Naruto was more than relieved. It died, however, when the man stepped back into the light, adjusting his clothing with a self-satisfied grin.

A furious pounding began then; drums beating to a horrible pattern that rang cruelly in his head while a red haze began blurring his vision like unshed tears of blood – only it wasn't blurry, his vision was sharper and clearer, it was better than ever before. His _whiskers_ were just starting to itch when a furious gasp caught his attention, his head jerking to meet Haku's enraged gaze.

"Calm yourself," he hissed, and Naruto would have sworn he'd seen a brief glint of steel.

_Just who are you, Haku?_ he thought when Ko was in front of the stall once again, steadying himself along his stand. The flash of steel shouldn't really surprise him in a place like Wave, especially with men like Ko lurking around every corner, but _nothing_ explained the sudden drop in temperature.

Naruto twisted away from Haku and set his sights on his more hated of foes. He so wished to glare at the man – and he very well did for just a moment – but all of his anger melted away like ice against the flame of Konoha's roaring Will of Fire.

There was a very distinct and unmistakable smirk upon his face. And, after a moment, Naruto felt his own lips spreading into a feral grin.

"Everything must go!" Ino shouted in a man's voice that was most certainly not her own.

People gathered and the stall was stripped clean along with the storage unit as well by the time Ino and Naruto finally made their way back to their quarters, completely forgoing returning to the bridge for the day.

Haku had been polite and generous in his thanks, but Naruto still did not trust him and said so.

Ino sighed as they reached Tazuna's house, pausing at the door. "The pig back there was an out-of-shape civilian that posed no threat to someone like me," she said haughtily, "and someone had to help Haku, Naruto." She gave him a look that killed any possible retort. "I thought you of all people would understand that."

Naruto wore a queer look as they gathered for dinner that night and was noticeably subdued. Ino's words bounced around in his head and deep down he knew she was correct – they had done the right thing, stealing aside, though the man had it coming and as ninja they were generally soft-spoken when it came to stealing.

He glanced at the white flowers resting in the middle of the table as Inari chattered about his day to any that would listen, his finger circling the rim of the glass in his hand, a single cube of ice bobbing about in a sea of red liquid. He downed the tangy concoction and crunched on the ice till nothing remained.

_If we did the right thing, why do I feel like we spent our time helping the wrong person today_…

**IIII**

**Author's Notes:**

Gave Ino her moment in this chapter. Wasn't needed for Shikamaru and Asuma seeing as they never had much against Naruto. Ino on the other hand, was, and still somewhat is, just a girl infatuated with Sasuke. For anyone still wondering she took over Ko's mind with the Yamanaka mind transfer technique.

_Translation_:

Shinobi no Kami – God of Shinobi / Ninja (Sarutobi's nickname for the uninformed out there)


End file.
